A Single Light in an Eternity of Darkness
by oblivious-massacre
Summary: After Zoey sleeps with Kalona so that he will listen to Nyx, she realizes that things may not have gone the way they planned. What will happen to the entire world - and Zoey's love life - when she realizes she and Kalona have been cursed?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I was re-reading the House of Night series, and I got an amazing idea. As I was reading, I thought about how…well, kind of boring the series gets around Tempted. From there, I just kept thinking about things that had happened in the series, and how different it is now - in Destined - than it was before - back when Tempted was the newest book. Has anyone else noticed just how easily Zoey forgets all about part of her being A-ya? Honestly, I imagined that it would be a lot harder for her to get over Kalona. Yes, Kalona tries to kill Stark, but the part of her that loves Stark isn't the only part of her. Well, I'm rambling, so I'll stop. I just wanted to say that I thought there should be way more Zalona - hee hee - so I am writing this story. Note that at first it was just going to be a one-shot about how Zoey's gang was going to get rid of Kalona once and for all. But as I started getting towards the end of the one-shot, the story just kept coming to me. It seems that this will be an actual story instead of a one-shot. So, here we go!**

*** Just a note here: I'm not sure how much farther the series is going to go, so I'm just going to start this after Destined.***

I hadn't said anything to anyone in a while. I needed to get my thoughts straight. Stark was worrying about me, I knew that, but I just couldn't talk about what had just happened. Of course, Stark was pretty much the only one who knew anything was wrong with me. If anyone else knew and they all started hounding me about what's wrong, I might crack. But, no, it was just Stark, and he understood that I needed time.

I knew that I should've been happy. I should be outside right now, celebrating with all my friends. Even though the red fledglings didn't like staying aboveground when it was so close to dawn, Stevie Rae had decided that it would be okay for them to spend a little time at the House of Night celebrating.

Neferet had finally been outed. That was all I'd wanted since… Well, since two months after I'd been marked. True, I didn't know just how evil she was back then, but I did know she was evil and needed to be found out. Even Lenobia had said that she had sensed it in Neferet but turned the other way, thinking she was wrong somehow. We'd all made that mistake, but now it was better.

Thanatos had helped us prove that Neferet is evil, and definitely _not _Nyx Incarnate. She was part of the Vampyre High Council, and the rest of the council would definitely listen to her.

On top of that, I knew that Heath was back. My Heath.

I sobbed a little. I was sitting on my bed, clutching Nala in my lap. She'd already done her ritual of sneezing on me and then complaining until she curled up and went to sleep. Now, she heard the sob that escaped my lips and opened her eyes to peer up at me.

"Oh, Nala, I'm sorry for waking you." I whispered. She sneezed before getting up and putting her paws on my chest. I swear I had a tiny flashback to the first time I had seen her. It wasn't the night I'd found her on the old oak by the east wall and helped her down. It was the night - well, day, actually - before that. I'd had a dream that she actually talked to me. She'd told me that it had taken me long enough to finally get to the House of Night.

She nudged her head under my chin so, taking that as a push to keep talking, I said, "Heath is back. He isn't how he used to be. He's…stuck. Stuck in that horrible creature, Aurox."

Aurox was a creature that Neferet had said Nyx had given to her. He looked like a really hot teenage guy most of the time, but when he got angry he turned into a half-man, half-bull creature, which scared the poopie out of me.

I'd finally looked through my seer stone at Aurox earlier that night, right after he'd killed Dragon, our fencing instructor and defender of the House of Night. What I saw there chilled me to the bone. It was Heath, stuck in that horrible body. I'd yelled out his name and he looked directly in my eyes.

Nala sneezed in my face, causing me to come back to the present. "I know. I'm done now. I can't stay in here forever, worrying Stark. Do you want to come with me?"

Nala jumped off my lap in response and padded over to her food bowl. I giggled. "You're always hungry. Okay, I'll feed you, but then I'm going to the party." I grabbed her food and poured a little in the bowl. While I was at it, I took the half-empty water bottle that was sitting on my desk and poured it into another bowl for her.

I popped into the bathroom to check my face, and saw that my eyes were a little puffy. I put on a little eyeliner to help conceal the puffiness along with my tattoo, and headed out for the party. I opened the door to my room, and was caught off guard by the Twins - who I should now call Shaunee and Erin now that they have decided to go their own ways - Damien, Aphrodite, Stevie Rae, and Stark. I couldn't tell, but I thought Darius and a few red fledglings were behind them. How they all fit in the hallway was oblivious to me.

"Oh, uh, hey." Erin said. I was still amazed whenever Shaunee stayed silent.

"Are you alright?" Aphrodite asked. She had one hand steadying her on the doorway and the other was reaching for me. Oh man. They were worrying about me more than I thought they would. There was no way in hell Aphrodite would ever do something like that under normal circumstances.

I pulled away from her - trying not to be obvious I was doing so, and failing - and said, "Oh, yeah. I'm good." I stifled the urge to slam the door and go back to my bed. I so did not want to put on a smile and pretend that everything was okay. Unfortunately, I couldn't. It was my duty as High Priestess to keep them all calm and collected, and how was I supposed to do that when I wasn't calm and collected?

When everyone gave me obvious looks that said I-am-so-not-believing-that-crap, I sighed. "Guys, I'm fine. Really. It's just been a stressful night, is all." I put on a big, fake smile.

I saw Stevie Rae's frown lift just a little bit. At that instant, I envied her. Rephaim - her boyfriend - was badly injured and back at the tunnels with, believe it or not, Kalona, his father and our enemy. How she could show even the tiniest little bit of a smile was beyond me.

"Z, don't be so stressed out. Come on out here. We're all celebrating, and you should be, too."

I took a deep breath, and said, "Okay, sure. Let's go."

We all had pizza and brown pop - yay for brown pop! - while we danced around and celebrated. Yeah, it may have been a little early for celebration, but we had to do it. I hadn't realized how badly I needed something like this until it was happening. Stark stayed by me the whole night.

We were dancing slowly in the middle of the room, arms wrapped around each other, when Stevie Rae tapped me on the shoulder. With a sigh, I turned and said, "And you interrupted us, why?"

Stevie Rae grinned and replied in her sweet Okie twang, "Hey, just trying to save everyone from havin' to watch ya'll play tonsil hockey." Everyone else grinned and nodded while she said it. "Z, it's 'bout to be dawn. We gotta get goin'."

Even though I liked being in my room a little - and I do mean just a _little_ - more than staying in the tunnels under the depot, I knew she was right. Not only did the red fledglings and vampyres need to get underground where they felt more comfortable, it was the safest place for us.

I nodded. "Okay, let's get going. Darius?"

"He went to go get the bus." Damien said. His eyes were sad, and I thought I knew why.

"Then let's get going." I lowered my voice so that only Stark could hear me. "You go ahead. I want to talk to Damien."

Stark nodded, gave me a quick kiss, and then walked with everyone else outside. I grabbed Damien's arm and pulled him back as they did. "Hey, are you okay?"

Damien looked me in the eyes. His eyes were all shiny, and I could tell that tears were about to overflow from them. "It's just… I know Jack would've loved all of this so much. It's really hard not having him here."

Jack had been Damien's boyfriend. Yes, they're gay. Yes, we accepted it, and we loved both of them. We still do, even though Jack is gone. I felt my own eyes water as I said, "Jack would have loved it. There's no doubt about that. But we can't think about it like that. He's with our Goddess now, and she is taking so much care of him. One day, we'll be back with him, but until then we have to live our lives not just for us, but for him as well. It's what he would've wanted."

I'd known that this had been coming. I knew it from the day Jack died. Damien had gotten a lot of his sadness out that day, but every day after that he had been trying to bottle it up. I knew that it was partially my fault. Every time any of us had seen him being so low, we just gave him inspirational words, which we thought was good at the time. Now, I understood that his sadness needed to come out. We couldn't keep telling him to bottle it up.

As soon as I saw the first tear fall, I pulled Damien into my arms. He cried and cried while he talked about Jack and how much he missed him. I whispered soothing things to him and just held him for a while. Suddenly, something popped into my mind, and I knew that I had to say it out loud. I got that feeling in my gut that I knew was from Nyx telling me that it was the right thing to say.

I pulled away from Damien and kept my hands on his shoulders. "Damien, do you remember what happened earlier tonight? After Dragon…" I let my words trail off, not able to say that Dragon had died. It was just too soon.

He nodded his head vigorously, and I saw in his face that as he did, he realized what I was about to tell him. The tears stopped overflowing and every feature in his face calmed. "He was reunited with Anastasia."

I smiled even though I knew my own tears were still pouring. "Exactly. You'll see him again, Damien. We all will." I thought for a moment before saying, "Do you want to pray to Nyx for him?"

He started to nod, but someone ran in the door before we could start. "Zoey! We need you out here now!"

I turned to see Stark in the doorway. I'd thought something was wrong when I heard his voice, but when I turned I saw that his face was in an expression of wonder. Not knowing what was going on I whispered to Damien to come with me, and we jogged out the door, following Stark.

We ran all the way to the east wall, the most powerful spot in our House of Night. My friends were gathered in a circle around someone. I couldn't tell who it was because they were turned away from me. By the way their long, brown hair flew in the breeze, I could see it was a woman. All my friends looked my way as we ran to them, and the woman tilted her head our way just so slightly.

"Nyx!" I practically yelled. This time my tears weren't sad.

She turned completely, opening her arms for me to run into while she said, "Yes, daughter. I'm here."

It was the first time something like this had ever happened. The Goddess had kissed me before, and touched me, but never like this. Her hug felt like it had all the love in the world in it, and maybe it did. I felt like laughing forever and crying forever at the same time. A thought in the back of my head whispered that I was feeling the love of a mother that I had lost a long time ago.

I looked into her face and saw that she looked like she would cry, too, but she didn't. She smiled and said, "Come here, my children."

Everyone ran into her, just like I had, and we jostled a bit. I actually did hear a couple of people laughing, and a few crying, too. It felt like we really were her children, and she really was our mother. Our mother, who we had not seen since we were born.

After a moment, she let go of me and whispered, "Go on now, Zoeybird. We have much to discuss, but I have to take care of the others first."

Even though I never wanted to leave her, I nodded and stepped back. Surprisingly, Stark was there to grab me into his arms. "She's here!" he whispered, fiercely. "She's actually here!"

"I know. It's amazing." I smiled up into his face. He kissed me with passion, but it was sweet and careful at the same time. We stayed like that until we heard Nyx's voice again.

"I cannot stay long, so I'm afraid there is no time for rejoicing." All of our smiles faltered a bit, but still stayed in place. There was just no way you couldn't smile in the presence of Nyx! "I have a reason for being here, but I would like to have a word with all of you."

She turned to look at all of us at the same time, and her smile lit up when she saw Stevie Rae. "I haven't had a chance to talk with you, daughter." Even though she was talking to Stevie Rae, I felt as though my heart would burst from all the love I felt.

One lone tear slipped from Stevie Rae's eyes as she walked to Nyx. Nyx put her hands on Stevie Rae's shoulders and said, "I am very proud of you. You got your humanity back and you've stayed true to me. I love you very much, Stevie Rae." When Nyx said she loved her, she pulled Stevie Rae in her arms. Nyx whispered something in her ear, and Stevie Rae started bawling. She wasn't sad; you could tell by the smile on her face that she was relieved. I wondered what Nyx had said to her, but didn't speak up because I felt that what she had said was private. If Stevie Rae wanted to tell me later, she would, and if she didn't I would respect her wishes.

Stevie Rae walked back to her place in our group, and Nyx called Shaunee over. Shaunee looked nervous, but not afraid. She gave Nyx a big smile when she got over to her, and Nyx returned it. "Shaunee, do not be afraid to be yourself. It is all I want you to be. Be proud, and embrace who you are, but don't be afraid to love your sister. Erin?" Nyx lifted one hand towards Erin and beckoned her over.

"Yes, Goddess?" Erin said. She didn't sound like a minion or anything, like you might imagine. No, there was nothing but love in those two words. Erin's body language said that she was scared. Maybe she thought Nyx was going to chastise her for…well, her and Shaunee's falling out.

"Sweetheart, you mustn't be afraid to be who you are, either. You two may be soul sisters, but you are your own person. Do not be afraid to act together as one, but don't ignore your own opinions, either." With a kiss on each of their forehead's, Nyx let them come back to the group. I saw Shaunee and Erin give each other a hug, and do a small bump-and-grind like they used to. It made me smile.

"Aphrodite?" Nyx called out. We looked around and saw that Aphrodite was in a place she never was - the back of the group. I wondered for a moment why she would be back there, and then I realized that she was a human again. I knew she had nothing to worry about, but I also knew that Aphrodite continuously put herself down about not being Nyx's daughter anymore.

She slowly walked to Nyx, and instead of stopping right in front of her, she stopped a couple of feet from our goddess.

Nyx gave her a loving smile and said, "Aphrodite, I want you to realize that being a human isn't a bad thing. In fact, it is a very special thing to me. You are a first in the vampyre community, just as Stevie Rae is the first red vampyre and Zoey is the first fledgling to have an affinity for all five elements. You are the first human to be adored by me. I love you very much, and I would never turn my back on you. Ever."

Aphrodite looked like she was about to cry, but Nyx took her hand and when she did I saw a visible change in Aphrodite. It was a kind of jerk that went up from her toes to her head. "How could you love me and still take my mark away? I understand that I was just holding Stevie Rae's earth affinity for her, but my mark?"

I could tell Aphrodite was trying not to cry, but I could see the shininess of fresh tears in her eyes. Nyx looked at her with so much love it was contagious. I felt myself giving Aphrodite the same smile. "Darling daughter, your mark isn't what binds you to me, or me to you. It's love. Always remember that."

Nyx gave Aphrodite a hug and then let her walk back to the group. This time, Aphrodite was in front. As she walked, Nyx turned to look at all of us.

"Sons and daughters, I have come here to tell you that I am proud of all of you, and that I love each and every one of you. You each have helped light defeat darkness in one way or another, and for that you deserve a reward." With that, she turned to Damien. "Come here, darling. I have something for all of you, but _you_ most of all."

I felt Stark tense while Damien walked to Nyx, and I whispered, "What's wrong?"

"She didn't call me over there." Stark said with no emotion in his voice.

I looked up at him and gave him a warm smile. "She loves you, you know. She didn't call a lot of people up there, and she loves them just the same. You'll see."

He gave me a small smile and nodded before we turned our attention back to Nyx and Damien.

"Sweet Damien, you have gone through such a loss. I know of the heartbreak you are going through." Nyx looked away from us all for a moment, and I wondered what she was thinking about. I realized that throughout the entire time I'd been at the House of Night, I hadn't once heard a story of something that happened in Nyx's life. I made a note to change that when I really became High Priestess, if I did at all.

Nyx turned back to Damien and said, "Although I can't give Jack back to you, I can allow you something to help ease your mind and your heartbreak." With a giant smile, Nyx stepped away from Damien and looked at the place she had been standing. A small shimmer of light appeared and rippled for a few moments before Jack appeared.

Damien gave out a cry as he wrapped his arms around Jack. I wanted to watch what was going on, but it was hard to see through the tears filling my eyes. Jack was here! As much as I wanted to run to him myself and never let him go, I knew that Damien needed this moment for himself.

"Honey, shh. Don't be sad." Jack said as he patted Damien's back.

"How can I not be? You're gone." Damien replied, still clutching to Jack for dear life.

"I'm here now. And you don't have to worry. Nyx is taking great care of me. I'm waiting for you in the most wonderful place. It will be complete when you get there." Jack was crying, too, but he'd managed to keep his voice steady.

Damien finally let go of him and kissed him hard. It was such a sight to see. I'm pretty sure that if Stark hadn't had a hold on me, I would've fallen to my knees. I took that moment to look around our group and see every single person there crying.

Jack broke the kiss and looked into Damien's eyes. "I love you, and I'm waiting for you. Don't be sad any longer, Damien. Please. I want you to be happy." Jack looked up from Damien to look at the rest of us. "I want all of you to be happy."

It seemed that everyone's bodies had taken over their minds when we all automatically ran to Jack and Damien. We took turns hugging him, and all the girls gave him small kisses on the cheek. He giggled in that little-gay-boy way of his, and that alone gave me the strength to wait my turn to see him.

"Jack." That was all I said when I got to him. I hadn't noticed until I said it that I was the only one to really speak directly to him. I ignored the fact that everyone was looking at us and said what my heart told me to. "I do miss you, so much. But I know that you're missing us as much as we miss you." With that, I closed the space between us and hugged him hard. "I can't wait to be with you again. No, I can't wait until we're all together in Nyx's kingdom."

I pulled away and wiped my eyes. "Here, give me your hand."

Jack gave me his hand while I held my empty hand out to Damien. I felt hands on my shoulders and saw that everyone had started to put their hands on either Damien, Jack, or me. "I - I mean, _we_ - wish you the best until we can be with you again. We love you, and we will remember you until the day we get to join you again. Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again."

Everyone yelled after me, "Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again!"

We all burst into either laughter or happy tears and did a group hug. I remembered all the times Jack had tried to get us to have a big group hug but we denied it, and was happy to be fulfilling a wish of his now. Everyone but Damien walked back into a group.

Damien took Jack's hands and said, "I love you. I always will, Jack." He turned to Nyx. "Please take care of him for me."

Nyx gave him a sweet smile. "I will do just that, son."

"I know you have to go." Damien said to Jack. "And…and…"

"And we will be happy together, forever." Jack said for him.

Damien chuckled and said, "I was going to say, 'And we won't have to deal with people judging us all the time,' but that works, too."

We all gave a little chuckle, but most of us had tears in our eyes. Stark wrapped his arms around me tighter and kissed the back of my neck. "I love you so much." he whispered.

I sighed and leaned into him. "I love you, too, my warrior."

Damien and Jack whispered to each other for a while. We couldn't hear what they said, but we knew that, to them, they were the only ones here. It was so heartbreaking and sweet that I gave a little sob. Stark pulled me to his side so that he could kiss my face and comfort me. I know that it's kind of inappropriate - or maybe just right, depending on how you look at it - but I felt like I was watching Rose and Jack - Jack! Hee hee - talking to each other just before Jack died in the frozen water of the Atlantic.

I cried like a baby then, too.

Finally, Nyx walked over to them and whispered something. She turned to the rest of us and said, "Jack must leave now, but this will not be the last time you see him. Be strong, my children. You will join him one day in paradise."

Although I had heard things like this often from Christian churches, I'd never heard it in the tone Nyx used. She said it with so much love, like she couldn't wait for the day we would all be with her in paradise. It wasn't like she couldn't wait for us to die, just that she wanted us all to be together and happy, in a place where nothing could hurt us.

"I _will _see you again one day, Jack. I will try to be strong and live for the both of us. Please don't forget me." Damien said, just loud enough for us to hear.

"Forget _you_? Never." Jack smiled and gave Damien one last kiss.

"I love you, Jack. Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again."

Jack's composure broke then. I had been surprised this entire time. Jack was usually so emotional, he couldn't contain himself. Even though I had picked at him about it when he was alive, I had also admired him for it. This entire time he had been crying, but he had kept himself together for Damien. I guess he just couldn't do it anymore.

"Oh, I love you, too, Damien. So much. Don't ever, ever forget that." Jack's entire body shook so hard, he almost fell, but Damien's arms held him up. The kissed again, and when they pulled apart Jack said, "Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again."

With that, Jack turned into a rippling form, and then disappeared with a light so bright, it left me blind for a moment. While Damien and Jack had said their goodbyes, it felt like my heart had been ripped open again from Jack's death. But when I saw that blinding light Jack had left in, it felt like my heart wasn't healed, but it was better. Like it had a band-aid on it, keeping the blood from pouring out.

When I could see again, I saw that Damien felt the same way. He was still crying, but he had a smile on his face - one of hope and determination. I knew that Damien would keep his promise to Jack and live for the both of them.

Nyx stepped into the place she had been originally - the place where Jack had been - and addressed all of us. "I have loved being here and seeing all of you. You have no idea how much joy it brings me. I have to go, but I need to speak with Zoey and Stark. Alone."

It was the first time I had heard Nyx speak with so much authority. Her voice didn't sound mean. No, it just sounded like she needed to get something done and couldn't do it with all of us here.

"It is almost dawn, and I know that a lot of you cannot take the sun. The rest who can are still uncomfortable in the sun. Go, my children. Go to the tunnels. Be safe. I love each and every one of you more than you can ever imagine." Her smile was so sweet, it was almost heartbreaking. Nyx looked as if she might cry seeing us go.

Everyone started going to the front of the school as Nyx walked over to me and Stark. She got within five feet of us and then turned to our right, motioning for us to follow her. We waved quickly to the others - who waved back - and then followed our goddess into her temple.

As soon as we were in Nyx said, "Dear Stark, close the door. Zoeybird, cast a circle. Ask the elements to shield what we are saying from unwanted ears. Do it quickly, I don't have much time."

Stark closed the door as I moved to the middle of the room and faced east. "Air, come to me!" I didn't have time to light a candle or introduce air. I turned to my right and said, "Fire, come to me!" I did the same thing to water in the west and earth in the north. I faced Nyx and said, "Spirit, come to me!" I felt the elements come to me as I called them. How could this night get any better?

"Quickly, Zoey, conceal us!" Nyx whispered.

"Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit: cover this place! Don't let anyone hear what is said in Nyx's temple tonight!" As soon as I said it, the elements did as I commanded. "Thank you."

Nyx and Stark joined me in the circle. They were only allowed in the circle because - hello! - Nyx is our goddess and Stark works for her.

Before speaking to me, Nyx turned to Stark. "Stark, I am as proud of you as I am any warrior. You have protected your priestess to infinity and beyond." I giggled in my head, thinking of Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. "I love you, and I give you the greatest blessing I can." Nyx stepped into Stark's personal space and kissed him full-on on the mouth.

I paid close attention to Stark's body language. He stiffened at first, being surprised, and then he melted into the kiss along with Nyx. I know, I know. I should've been angry, or jealous, but I wasn't. I knew that it wasn't a romantic kiss. It was from Nyx, our goddess, our mother. She was just showing Stark how much she loves him. A weird way for a mother to show that to her child, but loving nonetheless.

The kiss only lasted for a few beats, but when they parted Stark had to catch his breath. "Wow," was all he said.

Nyx smiled at him and then looked to me. "Zoey, I have something to ask of you, but you aren't going to like it." She looked at Stark. "Neither of you will."

We both nodded for her to continue.

"Remember that I can't make you do anything you don't want to, and I would never think of ordering you to do something. I gave you free will and I never take something that I have given back." Nyx paused for a moment and then said, "You must realize that I only ask this of you because it is likely to help both of us."

I was confused. "I don't understand, Nyx. What is it you want me to do?"

She took a deep breath - and coming from her, I took that as a bad sign. "You know that a part of your soul is A-ya, the maiden made from the Ghigua Women to trap Kalona?"

My breath hitched. I caught it in just enough time to say, "Yes, I know." I was glad I sounded calm and confident. Inside, I knew something was wrong. I knew that she was going to ask me to do something very difficult.

"Well…I have come up with a plan."

Stark and I exchanged a look and then - after taking a deep breath - we nodded at Nyx and said, "What do we have to do?"


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up with Stark's arms wrapped around me. I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, too, feeling all warm and fuzzy. I closed my eyes, planning on going back to sleep when I remembered everything.

At first, I thought that I had dreamt the entire thing. I thought that after we did the spell that showed that Neferet was the one who had killed my mom, and Dragon died, we went straight to the tunnels and fell asleep here. I'd dreamt that Nyx had appeared to us all, and let us see Jack again.

It wasn't until I thought about what she had asked me to do that I realized it wasn't a dream. It was all real. The cold, hard knot in my stomach assured me that it was real.

Stark stirred beside me. I tried to get up slowly and quietly so that I didn't wake him, but his eyes popped open the moment I stood up.

"Hey." he said with a smile on his face.

"Oh, uh, hey." I replied. I looked to the ground and then back at him. I was holding my stomach as though I thought it would explode. It felt like it might, the way it was tossing and turning.

He sat up, still leaning on his elbows. "What's-" He was going to ask me what was wrong, but he stopped. I could tell by the look on his face that he had remembered what Nyx had asked of us. He got up quickly and came over to me. Taking my chin into his hands, he said, "Hey, it's all going to be alright. Nyx is on our side. She's going to help us."

"I know. It's just…"

"I know." He dropped my face and wrapped his arms around me. "It's not going to be easy, but we'll get through this."

I just nodded. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to voice my worries for fear that if I did, they would come true.

"The sun's down. Let's go get this over with." he whispered.

I pulled away and looked into his face. "You can't go. You heard what Nyx said."

He stared into my face for a long time, and I could tell that he was struggling with the plan. Finally, he sighed and said, "I know. I don't like it, but I know. Nyx said she wouldn't let anything happen to you, and I believe her. Go. I'll go talk to everyone. You know if you don't go now, they'll never let you go by yourself."

I was about to tell him I knew he was right when he kissed me hard. We stayed like that for a long time. When he pulled away, he said, "Don't say anything. Just go. I love you. I believe in you." He gave me one last kiss on the forehead before walking out of our room.

I took a deep breath and walked out the door. Stark must have gone fast because he wasn't anywhere to be seen. I went as fast as I could to the basement of the old depot, so fast that if anyone was in the kitchen, I didn't see them. They probably didn't see me, either.

When I was in the basement, I took a deep breath and tried to center myself. I didn't have the elements to help me because Nyx had taken my affinities. I know she said she never takes anything away, and she was telling the truth. She was going to keep them until we got the plan done, and then give them back to me. If I backed out of the plan, she would give them back the second I decided I didn't want to do it. If I had my affinities, Kalona wouldn't trust me in the basement of the depot.

I knew it was weird that Kalona had gone into the tunnels with Rephaim - who was doing way better, by the way - while he was injured. Nyx had told us that he had only done so because no one with an earth affinity had been there.

As soon as I felt capable, I walked out of the basement and into the main floor of the depot. Once there, I sat down and closed my eyes. I tried to imagine that I was in the earth. Soon, after taking plenty of deep breaths, I was actually there.

I was A-ya, and I was in the ground with Kalona wrapped in my arms. It felt right being there. I felt so much love for him, it almost made me cry. I knew that this time I wouldn't go back to the earth. This time, I would stay there with him.

I opened my eyes, knowing that the part of me that was A-ya had taken over my body. When she - well, me, but it was a little different - took over, it was as if my body was acting without thinking. Surprisingly, that made my mission a little easier than I thought it was going to be.

I took a deep breath and - instead of yelling like I thought I would - said softly, "Kalona, my love. Come to me. I need you."

I sat there for what seemed like ages. I thought of the years Kalona and I had spent in the earth, trapped in each other's arms. I could literally feel his touch, smell his skin. In A-ya's eyes, he was a part of her. They belonged together.

Too soon I stood up. I could no longer think about Kalona and I in the earth. Instead, I was totally focused on Kalona. I could feel his presence above me. I knew that he was flying around, wanting to come to me, but scared of what might happen.

"Do not fear me, my love. Come to me. I will not let anything happen to you." I whispered.

His response was almost automatic in my head.

_I will not go down there. A-ya, please, come to the roof. Meet me there._

I was torn. The part of me that was Zoey wanted to stay down here, so that if anything bad happened, we would be sheltered and close to the earth. The part of me that was A-ya wanted to run to the roof and take Kalona in her arms. Reluctantly, I let her take the lead.

I tried not to think about what was going to happen. It was strange of Nyx to ask me to do something so…inappropriate. But as she told me that plan and answered my questions, I knew that what she had come up with was perfect and right.

As soon as I opened the door to the roof, he was there. Kalona took me into his arms. I automatically felt the familiar cold yet still hot touch of his body.

"A-ya, my love. You have come back to me." he whispered.

I turned my head up to him. "Yes, Kalona. Dear one. But our…" Again, I was torn. The Zoey part of me knew that what she was about to say would change everything, and not for good, either. The A-ya part of me not only knew that this was supposed to happen, but _wanted _it to. I finally let her speak the words she was going to before I interrupted. "Our meeting cannot be done up here."

Kalona's eyes widened. Obviously he was surprised that I had invited him to have sex with me so soon. That surprise lasted only a second. He tensed and said, "I will not go into the earth. Not again, A-ya. Why would you try to do that to me again?"

He sounded so hurt. Suddenly, I was no longer Zoey anymore. No part of Zoey existed in this body. Or maybe I did, I just knew that deep down I had wanted to make him happy and good, so I gave in and wanted the same thing as A-ya.

I touched his face as I said, "Oh, my love. I will never do that to you again! I love you so. I just want it to be more…private. Not in the earth, just not so above it, either."

For a moment, he looked like he would give in. I was smiling up at him, with all the love I could put into my face. Out of nowhere, his grip on me tightened, and even though I was afraid of what he would do next, it sent a chill of desire running through me. "No, I will not go there. I want you here. Now."

He kissed me hard and started to mess with my… Skirt? How could that be? I had been wearing pajamas when I went into the depot. I realized with a start that when I had allowed A-ya to take over me, my clothes had changed into her moccasin skirt and blouse. I guess it shouldn't have seemed so impossible to me. After all, I knew magick existed.

I grabbed his hand with unremarkable strength and said, confidently, "No. Not here. You will have me down there, or nowhere at all. I am yours, but you will respect me."

Damn. I'd had no idea A-ya was so…brave. I - the Zoey part - was scared of what would happen. A-ya was not.

Kalona stopped what he was doing with my skirt and looked into my eyes. They were hard and full of passion. He threw his head back and laughed. When he looked back at me, his eyes were filled with humor but hadn't lost their passion. "I forget how demanding you are, my A-ya. Of course, my love. Let us go."

He picked me up and practically flew down the stairs with me, he was so fast. Once we were in the depot, I pointed to one of the rooms. "Go there."

I hadn't really had to say where to go once I had pointed. He was already going there.

The room wasn't all that large, but it was good enough to be a small classroom. There was an old desk in the back that looked like it was about to crumble to pieces. Kalona automatically went behind it. I was surprised to see that there was a blanket laying there on the ground, nice and neat. It even had a pillow at the top of it. At closer examination, I realized it was my pillow, but I didn't recognize the blanket.

"Did you lay this here?" he asked.

A-ya wanted to tell the truth, but only because she knew that she was going to lose him and she didn't want to. Zoey knew better. I knew that if I told him I hadn't put that there, he would be suspicious of me. "Yes, my love." I whispered. He gave a fast nod and then set to it.

He laid me down and undressed himself. The sight of his naked body was remarkable. There was no way I could even try to resist him now. He was beautiful, a true god worthy of everyone's admiration. His skin glistened with the sweat of anticipated passion. It made his already gold body glow, and brought out the creases of his muscles.

He watched me as I stripped off my clothes, slowly. Zoey had come to the front of my mind, but not my body. I'd made A-ya strip slowly so that I could think about my next move. There was something that I wanted to do, but I was afraid of what it would do. Finally, I decided.

Laying there naked, I struggled with A-ya to retain my body. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to make love to Kalona, and be with her lover yet again. With a horrible scream in my mind, she let me take my body over.

Kalona had come to rest over me, both of us naked. He was about to get ready for the, uh, love-making, when he looked into my face.

I said, "Wait," just as he said, "Zoey?"

"Yes. It's me."

"What did you do with A-ya?" Kalona's face was a mask of anger.

I felt my eyes water. I'd known that this was going to be hard, but not this hard. I hadn't realized until this moment that the entire time I had been trying to get him to come here and sleep with me that I had wanted him to come for _me_, not A-ya. For once, I wasn't going to feel guilty about relationship drama. Stark had known what was going to happen while we made the plan. Hell, he knew what was going to happen when he sent me up here!

A tear slipped out as I said, "I haven't done anything with her. She's a part of me. You said so yourself. She's still here."

I didn't think Kalona would understand what I was feeling. I thought he would just try to make me bring A-ya back so they could do their dirty deed. Instead, he surprised me, as usual. He reached up and wiped the tear from my cheek. "Of course she is. Zoey, what is wrong?"

"I… I…" I didn't know how to finish. I didn't know how to explain any of this to him. I just knew that I wanted him to understand that I was doing this for him. Because no matter how bad he was, no matter what he did, I loved him. There was an ancient part of me that loved him and would never, ever quit.

He shushed me by putting a finger to my lips. As he reached for his clothes, he said, "It's alright, Zoey."

"No!" I yelled. I realized then that Kalona did have good still inside him. He hadn't lost everything when he fell from Nyx's kingdom. It made me want this so much more. What surprised me, though, was that there was a part of me, Zoey, that felt just like A-ya. I didn't want to do this because I knew that I would lose him. But I also knew that he wasn't the one I was meant to be with. He would be better after he did this. He would be good again.

"Zoey, you want this? But…why?" His voice had gone from soft and loving, to hard and suspicious. I knew I was going to have to do some explaining, even though I didn't want to. I was afraid of what he would say. Actually, I was scared of _how _he was going to say it. How he would reject me. Would he treat me like a little girl, and explain that he liked me but loved A-ya? Or would he be blunt and horrible, telling me that he would never love someone like me?

I sat up and grabbed his face in mine. The love for him that I had given into when I let A-ya take over just wouldn't go away. I couldn't help what I was feeling for him. "Kalona, I-I don't know how to explain this to you. I…just…" I let the sentence trail off, giving him a little peck on the mouth. I laid back down, looking anywhere but at him as I felt the burning in my cheeks and the tears running down them.

"You…love me." he whispered, more to himself than to me. I nodded, not trusting my voice. I knew that if I said something, I would just wind up screaming, "Yes! I love you! I love you!" If I did anything like that, most likely someone would hear it, and I didn't want that happening.

"You love me!" he whispered again, this time sounding more confident. He bent down and kissed me. It wasn't a passionate, yearning kiss. It was sweet and gentle, like he thought he would break me.

After a few sweet kisses, I broke away from him and said, "Tell me you love me, too." After I said it, I searched his eyes, wondering what was going through his head. A-ya was screaming inside me. She wanted me to let her go so that she could be with him. What she didn't know was that I was just baiting her.

Nyx had told me last night that I - Zoey - would have to be the one to sleep with Kalona, not A-ya. She had talked me through everything. She told me how I could let A-ya out to call to him and get him to be with me. She said that I should call A-ya out and let her lead Kalona down into the depot to have sex, but as soon as we started doing so I would have to push A-ya back and let Zoey back in control. Only then would our plan work.

But it would also work if I was the one he started having sex with.

Thinking about it now, I wonder if I really did have to have sex with Kalona for the plan to work. Nyx had said that we needed to be connected, and I understood that, but wouldn't it have worked with us just hugging or something. I guess it would, but I think having sex with him would be better because then it would be a sure thing that we were connected and it would be harder for him to pull away.

After what seemed like forever, Kalona whispered, "I love you." I was about to open my mouth to tell him to say he loved _me_, Zoey, and not A-ya when he put his fingers on my lips again. "I love you, Zoey."

His lips found mine again, and we kissed for a while. I felt like my body was going to burst into flames. I was nervous, because I wasn't A-ya anymore, and also because I knew what the outcome of this would be. Nyx hadn't assured me that it would work and I was scared of that.

When my lips felt like they were about to fall off from all the kissing, Kalona pulled away from me. He had passion in his eyes again, and I knew that it was for me this time and not A-ya. I'd never thought that there could be a flaw on Kalona, but his lips were red and a little swollen from all the kissing we had done. Instead of it making him look kind of like a fish - like it would on most people - it made him look even hotter.

"Are you ready, love?" he whispered, still looking into my eyes.

"I'm…nervous." I admitted. It was a lot easier to admit that than I thought it would be.

"Don't be. I will help you all the way through it. We will be together." He stared at me for another beat and must've noticed that I was still nervous because he whispered, "I love you."

That thawed my nerves. And I do mean totally and completely _thawed_ them. I, again, felt the heat go through my body, and this time I wanted him with every fiber of my being. "Come to me, my love."

In the back of my mind, I thought that A-ya had been rubbing off on me because I had never called anyone "my love" before. But at that moment, I wasn't paying attention to anything but the fact that Kalona and I were getting ready to have sex.

My heart was fluttering at a million miles an hour. When the moment finally came, I stopped breathing for a moment. When I was able to take another breath, we rocked together. A moan escaped my lips and I stopped breathing for the second time. It was harder to take another breath, and alarms started going off in the back of my head.

It was happening. It was time. I had wanted to scream that I didn't want it to happen yet; that I wanted more time with him. But I knew that it was now or never. With the third breath, right before I let go of my body, I whispered, "I love you." I barely heard his returned love before I totally disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so this is a pretty short chapter, but I promise that there are way more to come. =]**

I was barely able to tell what was going on with my body. I could feel a little bit of what was going on. Kalona wasn't moving anymore, but I could still feel him. I didn't know how that was, but I tried not to think about it too much.

I looked at my surroundings. I knew exactly where I was. I was in one of Nyx's meadows in the Otherworld. It was easy to relax here, so I climbed under a tree and laid down. For a little while it was hard to get my mind to shut up so that I could just relax. I was just too busy thinking about what was happening with my body.

But, sooner than I thought it would, my mind finally listened to me and let go of every thought. I sank into darkness that I knew was sleep.

I couldn't have been out long. Nyx had said that it wouldn't take long for her to enter my body and forgive Kalona. She'd told me that she intended to help us defeat Neferet by getting Kalona out of the way, but not by destroying him. She said that she could tell that he had held on to some of his goodness, and that she wanted to give him a chance to redeem himself.

She would enter my body while Kalona and I were making love. Then, she would hold on to him like that, because he couldn't stop himself once he'd started. He would _have _to listen to her. She would tell him that if he would ask her forgiveness, she would forgive him and he could come back to her kingdom.

I didn't know if he would or not, and that was what scared me. If he didn't, and I came back to my body, what would happen? Would he be mad at me? Would he still believe that I loved him, or would he think it was all just an act? Either way, it didn't look good. He would keep coming after me if he knew that I loved him, and he would be mad and try to hurt me if he thought it was an act.

When I opened my eyes, Nyx was standing over me. She smiled and held her hand out to me. I took it and stood up, feeling all my anxiety go away while I stared at her smile.

"So, what-?" I didn't finish my question because I already knew what happened. Kalona was standing ten feet away from me. The sun was shining down on him, and he looked absolutely beautiful. It wasn't a dark beautiful, like he had been on earth. It was good beautiful, light beautiful. I knew what his choice had been because his wings were the beautiful color of ivory.

Nyx said nothing as Kalona and I looked at each other. It seemed like that's all that happened for the longest time. Finally, he smiled at me. "Zoey."

"Kalona." I was smiling like a damn fool now. I couldn't stop. "You're good again." Wow, was that it? Man, I'm such a dork.

He chuckled, proving I am a dork, and then walked over to me. He took my hand and said, "Thank you for what you did. I know that I wasn't…myself."

I looked down at the ground. "It was…no problem."

"Hey." Kalona put two fingers under my chin and lifted it up so that I was facing him. It wasn't rough like it probably would have been before, but rather soft and sweet. "Do not be embarrassed. Zoey, I feel love for you, too. But you must understand that I felt it for A-ya, and therefore a part of you."

The redness in my cheeks came back. When he had said that he loved me, I saw a bright spot of hope. For some reason, I could think of nothing but Kalona and how much I loved him. When he said it was just because of A-ya, all my hope was crushed.

"Zoeybird." Nyx called me by the name my grandma used for me sometimes. "You do understand that it worked the same way for you, too, right?"

"Huh?" was my intelligent response.

Kalona and Nyx chuckled together, making me feel very young and very foolish. Kalona explained, "Zoey, you felt for me because of A-ya. That's all it was."

I wanted to tell him that, no, it wasn't because of A-ya that I loved him. I really did love him. Why couldn't he understand that? But I didn't. Instead, I just looked at the ground and said nothing. After an awful awkward silence, Nyx finally sighed and walked closer to me.

"Here, let me clear things up a bit." Nyx put her hand on the back of my head and, very lightly, dragged the tips of her fingers around the side of it. When she took her hand away, she had a ball of light like the one that came when Jack emerged the other night. She dropped it and it turned into-

"A-ya!" I exclaimed.

She smiled at me and said, "Thank you, Zoey. You helped free my love, and now we can be together."

I expected to be jealous of her. I expected to want to smack her and pull on her hair. Instead, I felt happy. I didn't love Kalona. They were right. I had just loved him because of A-ya.

I smiled back and said, "You are very welcome. I wish you two the best."

They hugged each other and smiled at me as Nyx said, "Zoey!"

I looked over at her fast because she sounded worried. "Zoey, you must get back to your body quickly. You soon won't be able to anymore."

I nodded, and before I could say anything, Nyx touched my forehead and said, "Good luck to you, Zoey."

Then everything went black again.


	4. Chapter 4

The last time this had happened to me - during that dirty deed with Kalona that I was never, ever going to talk about or think about again - it hadn't taken long to get from, well, the earth to Nyx's kingdom. I didn't know if it took the same amount of time to get to Nyx's kingdom as it did to get _from _Nyx's kingdom, but if it did, I was in trouble.

The darkness lasted for a terribly long time. I started to think that maybe I was back in the earth, wrapped in Kalona's arms.

_Wait. Why did I think about that?_ a voice in the back of my mind whispered. _I'm not in love with him. It was A-ya. That's…weird._

But the thought was in and out of my head within seconds. I was mostly thinking about why I was still in the darkness. I thought I could be dead. At least, that sounded like what Nyx might have been talking about when she made me leave so abruptly. What had she said?

_Zoey, you must get back to your body quickly. You soon won't be able to anymore. _

The words of the thought rippled around me like they had the first time I had talked with Nyx. With a start, I realized that the last time this had happened I was dying, and the only thing that had saved me was my grandma taking me to the House of Night. Did that mean that I was, indeed, dying?

I was worried. I had a feeling that if I didn't get back to my body soon, something bad would happen. I looked all around in the darkness, trying to see if I there was anything out in it. I don't know how long I did this, just that I tried for a very long time to see something. I then thought to try and call the elements to me to maybe help me find my body. Nyx had once told me that the elements can restore as well as destroy.

I didn't know what direction was what, so I just closed my eyes and said, "Air, come to me." I expected to feel the familiar breeze that came with wind, but it never came. Desperate, I yelled, "It gives us our first breath and takes away our last. In the name of my goddess, Nyx, I summon air to this circle!" When I still felt no rush of air come my way, I started to freak on the inside.

I called each of my friends' names, hoping that they would get a rush of their element and know that I needed their help. I sat for a long time before realizing that they had never gotten my call. I started to sob.

_Nyx told me that she would take care of everything for me. _I thought. _She said that she would leave my body in a place that my friends would find, and that she would send out a call to them right before she left my body. They should be there!_

A thought crossed my mind. What if I needed to call Stark? After all, he had been the one to bring me back from the Otherworld when my soul had shattered. Maybe I needed the help of my warrior to get back to my body.

It seemed like I called his name for hours with no response. In reality, I'd called his name maybe ten, eleven times. I resolved to thinking really hard about him, like A-ya had done to call Kalona. I thought about everything we had been through. I started with our first kiss, then him dying, then him swearing his warrior's oath to me, etc.

"Z-z-o-o-e-e-y-y…" I heard my name, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from. It sounded like it was coming from everywhere, echoing as it bounced around.

"Stark!" I yelled, hoping he had heard me.

"Zz-oo-ee-yy!" The echoing was going away a little bit, and this time I knew that it was Stark that had called my name.

"Oh, Stark! Help me!" I looked all around, trying to figure out where he was.

Suddenly, I saw a little dot of light in the distance. Whatever it was, it had to be better than pure darkness, so I ran towards it. I got about two steps toward it when I was snapped back into my body. I couldn't move, but I could hear what was going on around me.

"Zoey, come back to me!" Stark was yelling.

"Z! Please, we need you." That was a girl, but I couldn't really tell who it was.

I could hear some sobbing. I was trying desperately to make myself _do something _but it felt like my entire body was made of lead.

"Zoey…" This time Stark's voice was much closer and softer. "I need you here, baby. Not just because I need my High Priestess. Not just because I'm gonna feel like so much shit if you die and I couldn't protect you. Because I can't live without you. _I. Love. You._ Don't give up."

I couldn't just sit here and let them be in so much misery. I tried to move as hard as I could.

"Did you see that?" That had to have been Damien.

"No-" Shaunee said.

"What?" Erin completed. Even though I knew there were important things at hand - like, oh, I don't know, getting my body to work! - I was glad to hear Shaunee and Erin completing each other's sentences again.

"Her finger." Stark pointed out. His voice wasn't as soft as it was when he was talking to me. In fact, his voice sounded very business-like. "It twitched."

Okay, well, that was a start. I tried harder. I thought I felt something, but I wasn't sure.

"She's breathing!" Stevie Rae exclaimed. I could tell from her voice that she was crying.

I could feel myself breathing! I tried to open my eyes. I could feel them flicker while my friends were pointing out things about me. Finally, they opened and stayed open.

"Oh, Zoey!" Stark yelled. He picked up my head, very gently, and put it in his lap. He turned to Stevie Rae. "Go get her some blood."

I could just barely see Stevie Rae in my line of vision. The edges of my vision were still a little blurry, so I had to rely on voices. "Uh, fresh blood would do her much better than refrigerated blood."

"No!" I tried to scream, but no sound came out.

"I don't think she wants that." Shaunee said.

"Uh, yeah. Don't think Z needs anymore imprinting issues." Erin agreed.

I could feel Stark running his fingers through my hair. "Stevie Rae, like I said, go get her some blood. Damien, go get Darius. He'll know what to do."

I heard footsteps pretty much running away.

"St-ark." I tried to say his name, but it came out broken up.

"Shh, sweetheart. You need to rest. Don't try to talk." he advised. I did as he said, closing my eyes again and drifting. I was partly afraid that I would go back to that endless darkness, but at the moment I didn't care. I just wanted to go to sleep.

It seemed like I'd had my eyes closed for seconds when I felt something pushed against my lips. I opened my eyes to find Stark holding a cup up to me. "Drink. You'll feel better after."

I opened my mouth and let the sweet, delicious blood run down my throat. I didn't think blood had ever tasted that good before. Okay, so, I know it's gross that I liked the blood that much, but it tasted different to me after I had been marked. When I was a human, it tasted like metal. Now, it tasted like honey and chocolate mixed together, along with everything good in the world.

When it was gone, I wanted more of it. Stark ordered Stevie Rae to hand him another blood bag. After I'd downed that one, I was able to sit up on my own.

"Oh, that was not fun." I croaked, holding my hand to my throbbing head. Stark tried to get me to lay back down, but I put a hand up to tell him I was good. "Before we do anything else, I need to know what happened."

"Well, we all felt our elements calling us to you." Erin said.

"Yeah, so we knew something was up." Shaunee continued.

I looked to Damien. "I felt it, too. At first, I thought it meant to send air to help you, but when I just kept getting hit by breezes I knew something was up. I followed the wind, and it led me right here to you. Stevie Rae showed up next and I sent her to go get Stark. Then Shaunee and Erin came. We've been waiting here since. We were afraid to pick you up."

"How long ago was that?" I asked.

Stevie Rae piped, "About twenty minutes ago."

I sighed. Damn, I had been gone for a while. Sadly, it felt like I had been gone longer. "I need to get to my room."

"Priestess, it would be best to let me check to see if you are hurt before you go to bed." Darius said. I hadn't noticed that he and Aphrodite had walked up behind Damien and the Twins.

I gave him a small smile. "I'm really sure I'm not hurt. Just super tired."

"Are you sure, Zoey? I mean, you were dead! What could have done that to you?" Shaunee was looking at me as if she expected me to burst into flames.

Damien, Erin, and Stevie Rae all piped in agreements. Darius simply nodded his head once, and Aphrodite was looking at me with narrowed eyes. Ah, hell.

I looked at Stark, and he was talking before I could even tell him to explain. "I didn't get a chance to tell anyone. I didn't know how long it would take, and by the time I figured it had been enough time, I couldn't find anyone. Well, anyone except Aphrodite, who already knew something was up."

"Uh, hello! Prophetess here." Aphrodite pointed at herself.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, look. This is going to sound…super bad."

Aphrodite interrupted me with, "Zoey had sex with Kalona!"

I groaned before anyone could get their gasps out. Stark's grip on the top of my arm squeezed for just a second, letting me know that he was there for me. "Okay, yes. I did. But it wasn't what you think."

"Obviously not since Stark here is…chill." Shaunee stated.

"What happened, Z?" Stevie Rae asked. I noticed she was paying special attention to me. What could she possibly be thinking right now? I thought about what I would think if I found out she had had sex with Kalona, and realized that she was probably really scared and confused.

I took a deep breath. "Nyx came up with a plan to get rid of Kalona. I had to help with this plan in a very weird way that I never, ever want to talk about. All you need to know is that he's gone." I didn't just say this to save myself from going into specifics about that…dirty deed. No, I wanted to spare Stark the details, too. I mean, I would've been pissed and hurt if Stark had had to sleep with Neferet. It would be even worse if I heard every single thing they did.

"But Z!"

"You can't just tell us something like that and…"

"How did this happen?"

They all were shrieking things at the same time. After listening to their ramblings for a minute or two, Stark shushed them. I decided that I would give them details about what happened, but not about the sex.

"Look, basically, Nyx told me that she needed me to be connected to Kalona so that she could take over my body and speak to Kalona. He turned his back on her and wouldn't listen to anything she would say to him. She saw how he acted with Rephaim and she wanted to give him a chance to ask her forgiveness. I did what she asked, he asked her forgiveness, and now Kalona is back in Nyx's kingdom and I woke up here. 'Kay?" I explained as fast as I could.

No one said anything for a long time. I saw different emotions playing on everyone's faces. It was difficult when I saw hurt on them. I knew that I had - once again - lied to them, and that it must hurt them to know I was keeping something so important from them.

Finally, Stevie Rae said, "So Rephaim's daddy is on Nyx's good terms now?"

I nodded at her, not trusting myself to keep from begging them to forgive me for lying to them.

She nodded. "Well, guys, it's almost dawn. We need to get to bed, and let Zoey rest. She can explain the rest to us tomorrow."

Everyone nodded their agreements and said goodnight to me. I could hear in their voices that they were still confused, but they didn't want to push it tonight. Stark lifted me into his arms carefully. We headed for our room with Darius and Aphrodite walking closely beside us.

"Zoey, no matter what, I _have _to know what happened tonight." Aphrodite finally said into the awkward silence.

I looked at her, trying to guess where she was coming from. "Aphrodite, this isn't some juicy gossip you can go around telling everyone."

She actually stopped walking for a moment. Darius stopped a step after her, waiting, but Stark just kept going. I felt bad about what I'd just said. It obviously hurt her. After another moment or two, she jogged to get in front of Stark and stop him in his tracks. "Look, I'm not stupid. I know that this isn't something we can just go around telling everyone. I'm just trying to save your ass."

With that, she took Darius by the arm and marched him the other direction, toward their room.

"Huh. I wonder what's up her butt." Stark said.

Although I felt like crap, that did make me smile a little. "Just get me back to our room, warrior, before I pass out in your arms."

"I wouldn't mind."

I ignored his comment. We finally got into the room and laid down. I had barely muttered to Stark that I loved him and goodnight before I was asleep.

My dream was in slow motion. Well, at least that's how it started. I don't remember much of it, just that I was at a carnival. I was the only spectator there; everyone else around me worked for the carnival. I was walking through it - in slow motion - looking at all the games and rides they had up. I was just thinking of getting some cotton candy when I heard it.

It sounded like the flapping of birds wings, only it was really close. I looked up and saw nothing around me. Suddenly, everything went from being in slow motion to normal. I was surprised to look behind me and see Kalona standing there, his great white wings half-unfolded.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as his wings fully folded behind him.

He looked at me for a very long time before saying, "I do not know. I…shouldn't be here."

I didn't say anything to that. I mean, what could I say? I knew that he shouldn't have been there, he knew that he shouldn't have been there, so he should've left. Instead, he stayed right where he was, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Kalona, I don't think this is very appropriate." I noticed that when I said his name, he shivered like he had been hit with a chill.

He looked to the ground and then at his shaking fingers. "Zoeybird-"

"Don't call me that." The words slipped out before I could stop them. I knew that I wore a look of surprise on my face. His head slightly tilted. "I, uh, don't know why I said that."

He gave me a sweet smile before saying, "Like I was saying, I think there is something…very wrong going on."

I couldn't help what went through my head just then. It seemed like the longer I was with Kalona, the more I couldn't help myself. I saw him, clear as day, naked again. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks, and tried furiously to get the blush to go back down. I did, but not before he saw it.

"Yes, there is something very wrong here. It seems that I cannot stop thinking of you. I didn't even mean to come into your dream." he explained.

"And yet, here you are." I was giving him what I called my flirty smile, and acting like a total ho! "Ohmygoddess, why did I just do that?"

Kalona nodded and started pacing back and forth in front of me. "See? It's happening to you, too. Zoey, I'm being drawn to you, and not of my own free will. I can feel that something is pushing me toward you."

"I…can feel it, too. What's going on, Kalona?" I asked, scared of what was happening. It occurred to me that it was a little weird to be working with Kalona instead of against him. He wasn't the enemy anymore, but you know what they say - old habits die hard.

He stopped pacing and got into my personal space. "I don't know, but I feel that it is just the beginning. I will talk with Nyx about this."

I started to nod my head, but was disrupted by Kalona grabbing my chin. He pulled my face up and kissed me hard. I knew in the back of my mind that it was wrong, but I kissed him right back. It felt like everything went in fast-forward after that. We were still kissing, but we were trying to take each other's clothes off at the same time.

We had to break away from each other so that I could take my shirt off, and that was when we both realized what we were doing. Kalona spread his wings and flapped them so that he was just above me. He was breathing hard and looking at me, but not really seeing me.

I quickly pulled my shirt back on.

"I must talk with Nyx. Zoeybird, be safe, and trust your intuition. I'm afraid-"

"Say no more." I interrupted him. "If you're afraid, then I'm afraid. Just go, and go quickly."

He gave me a slight nod and then, looking as if it physically pained him to leave me, flew off into the sky. As he got farther, my dream slowed down more and more.

I started walking down the pathway through the carnival again. When I finally made it to the cotton candy stand, I woke up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so you should know that I really didn't plan on the story working out like it did. This isn't the end. No, far from it, actually. This is more like the real beginning. I feel like a lot of people have done this before: bring in something super complicated and technically impossible, but you must know that when I write, the characters tell me what is supposed to happen next. It doesn't really come from my brain the entire time. Sometimes, something will just pop into my head, and I know that it has to go into the story. Like I said in the beginning, this story was supposed to be a one-shot, but it has turned into something much more complex. I really hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it. **

It seemed like I had slept minutes, but when I looked at the clock on my bedside table it said that I had slept for eight hours. I wanted to groan, but I didn't want to wake up Stark. So, I very carefully untangled myself from his arms and went to get a bag of blood from the kitchen.

I'd grabbed two bags instead of one and was cutting the first one open when Aphrodite walked into the room.

"Hey." I said, giving her an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry about earlier. I was just…"

"Stressed? Nervous? Confused?" she asked.

"All of the above." I snorted.

Aphrodite grabbed some cheetohs and sat down across from me at the table. "What are you doing up?"

I finished pouring the blood into a cup - it felt a little less weird that way - and chunked the bag in the trash. I sat down and took a drink of blood. It felt like coffee in the morning, except way better. "Couldn't sleep." I shrugged my shoulders.

Aphrodite didn't look at me when she said, "You dreamt about Kalona, didn't you?"

I think I looked at Aphrodite like she had just picked a lizard up off the ground and ate it whole. "How do you know that? Did you have a vision?" I asked, just a little too quickly.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah. I had a vision. The worst, most painful vision of my life."

Even though I was concerned about what the vision was about, I was more concerned for Aphrodite. I knew how bad her visions were. She would bleed from her eyes and they would give her major headaches. "How bad was the pain?"

She hadn't been looking at me the entire time, but now she did. "Horrible. I wanted to die. And you weren't there to help me."

I looked down this time. "When was it?"

"Right after we got here. I assume you were still talking with Nyx and Stark. Anyway, I told Darius to go get you at dusk. He did, but when he came back he said you were nowhere to be found." She stopped to shrug her shoulders. "I had this vision all night, Zoey. I don't remember all of it, but I do remember the basics."

"Aphrodite, I am really sorry for not being there for your vision. I just…had some things I had to take care of." I'd tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away before I could.

"Look, I've still got a major headache. I don't feel like staying up too much longer talking with you about this, but have to. Z, some major shit is going down, and it seems to be following you." That was the Aphrodite that I knew and - sometimes - loved.

"Okay, so tell me what happened. It's not like I'm not used to poopie following me." I cut open my second bag of blood and started dumping it into the cup.

"You're going to have to let me tell you all of it before you ask questions. I have to concentrate to remember it and if you interrupt something I may not be able to remember everything." she explained.

"Okay, I'll listen. Go on."

She took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes as she did so. "Okay, so it was kind of blurry at first. I couldn't tell who I was looking at, I just knew that two people were doing the nasty." I blushed at that comment. "When it started coming into focus, the first thing I noticed was that the girl kept changing form. First she would be - I'm guessing, here - a Cherokee woman with weird Indian clothing.

"She would then turn into you, which I thought was really weird until I remembered that part of your soul is A-ya. But the next part threw me off. You turned into Nyx." She stopped, gasping for air.

I ran around the table to her. "Aphrodite, are you okay?"

She waved her hand at me. "Yeah… Sorry." She took a few more deep breaths before continuing. "Well, I couldn't really hear much in the vision, but I could see almost everything. Some of it was going way too fast, so I didn't get parts of it. I remember getting glimpses of Cherokee woman chanting something, but I couldn't hear what it was.

"This is the scary part, Z. Brace yourself." I did as she told me, holding my breath. "You had a baby. It was crazy. Everyone knows that vampyres and fledglings can't have kids. It was really weird. Well, anyways, it's Kalona's, apparently, because he comes flying down from Nyx's kingdom to be with you. When he does, though, he gets his black wings back, and is struggling to be good.

"Something happens. I can't quite grasp it. Anyways, you die and Kalona is heartbroken. He gives in to darkness, and becomes a weapon for Neferet. They destroy the world as we know it together." Aphrodite fought to catch her breath for a few minutes after she finished.

As she did that, I thought about all of this.

Okay, she said that I had a baby. That _was _impossible. As soon as we are marked, our bodies work differently. They can't care for a baby the way a human's body can. So, we knew that was out of the question.

Something dark in the back of my mind hissed, _But what if she's right?_

So, yeah, I didn't know if an immortal could knock anyone he wanted up, but what were the chances? As I thought about this, I realized that Nyx hadn't said anything about the possibility of procreating with Kalona. I had just assumed that she would stop him before he could…well, you know.

I ignored it for the time being. How was I supposed to know what the Cherokee woman were up to, if I didn't know what they were saying? I decided to make a mental note to call grandma in a little while and ask her about it.

The rest of it would just never happen because Kalona and I didn't love each other. Although…

"Ohmygoddess!" I almost yelled. I would have yelled it if it weren't for all the sleeping people I would probably wake up.

Aphrodite opened her eyes and started rubbing her temples. "Ugh, what is it?"

I grabbed her by the shoulders and made her look at me. "Aphrodite, you have to promise me that you won't say anything about this to anyone. It will definitely freak them out. It will probably freak you out, too, but you have to listen to me and help me figure this out."

She looked entirely sober and awake now. Maybe even a little afraid. She bit her lower lip and nodded.

So, I launched into what had happened with Kalona and I during the "dirty deed". Aphrodite managed to surprise me and not say anything the entire time. I then told her about the dream I'd had earlier that woke me up. By the time I was through, Aphrodite was grabbing a wine bottle and pouring some into a glass.

She drank a whole glass in two minutes straight, poured herself another glass, and then sipped on it before setting it down. She cleared her throat.

"Okay, so what you're telling me is that my vision may actually have a chance to become true?" she asked.

I simply nodded.

"Shit! What are we gonna do, Z?" she would've yelled if it weren't for my warning to be quiet.

I thought about that for a little while before saying anything. "Kalona told me that he was going to talk to Nyx about what is going on. I say that I go call my grandma, talk to her about the Cherokee woman in your vision, and see if we can figure out anything. Later tonight, or maybe tomorrow when I go back to sleep, Kalona will visit me in my dreams again and tell me what's going on."

"Yeah, and pigs fly."

"Shut up." I snapped. She shrugged, obviously getting buzzed from the wine. "I'm going to go call my grandma. You…do whatever you do."

She raised her glass up to me as I walked away. I ran as fast as I could to my room for my cell, being careful not to wake up Stark, and then into the depot for signal. As soon as I got three bars, I hit number two on my speed dial. She answered on the second ring.

"Grandma!" I shrieked into the phone.

"_U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya_, what is wrong? I awoke from a horrible dream the other night, and you were in it. I've been waiting to hear from you." she automatically replied.

"It's horrible, grandma. Just horrible!"

"Shush. Calm down, Zoeybird. If you'll just calm down, you'll see that you can make it through anything." Of course, grandma would be the first person to keep me calm in a situation like this.

"Thanks, grandma. I need your help. I can't explain everything right now, but I just need to know something." I said, grateful to hear her voice in all of this mess.

There was a long silence on her end, and I almost said something to see if she was still there. Before I could, she said. "Something bad is coming, Zoey. Be prepared for it."

Okay, my entire life, grandma had always been weird. I say that because it was weird to other people that she always knew when I was going to call, when I was in trouble, and when I was coming for a visit. I never thought of it that way because I had grown up with her doing it all the time. But, in all the years she had done this, she had never sounded like she did this time. She sounded like she really thought the end of the world was coming.

I decided to ignore it and ask her the question I set out to ask. "Grandma, not to be rude or anything, but do you know of any chants that the Cherokee woman would chant? One that would maybe have to do with Kalona?"

"Of course, Zoeybird. The one that they used to trap him in the earth. You know of that one." she reminded me.

I sighed. "Yes, I remember that one. But this time I'm looking for a different chant. Maybe another one they said about Kalona while he was in the earth? I'm not exactly sure of all the details."

"I know of one other chant that our ancestors used against Kalona, and it wasn't just a chant."

"What was it, grandma?" I was afraid that my gut - which was telling me that what she was going to say was bad - was right.

"I do not know the words. I only know what my grandmother told me. She said that once Kalona was trapped in the earth, the Ghigua Women got together and put a spell on Kalona. They did it to make sure that if Kalona ever came back, he wouldn't be able to impregnate another Cherokee woman without facing the consequences."

I swallowed the giant lump in my throat. "What are the consequences?"

"Kalona will be infatuated with the woman. The woman, in return, will be captivated by Kalona, not for herself, but for her child. Why is this so important, _U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya_?"

"Oh, grandma, I am in so much trouble this time."

I had to explain everything to my grandma so that she could help me. She didn't sound pleased about anything, but she did promise me that she would do her best to track down the spell and find a way to reverse it. We also had the little matter of me being…

"Pregnant." I whispered the word to myself. I'd just hung up with grandma and was sitting in the dark. "How could that even happen?"

For a long time everything seemed perfectly still. I had absolutely no clue what to do. I roamed through the depot, listening to the sounds of birds outside. Sometimes the sunlight would slink its way into a room and I would have to shield my eyes from it. I thought about Stark - my warrior and lover - and how heartbroken he would be when he found out about everything.

_You don't have to tell him… _The thought came from somewhere deep inside my mind. It almost felt as if it didn't belong. As if it was put there.

No. I couldn't lie to Stark. Truthfully, it wouldn't be like I was outright lying to him about all of this. But, I realized, if I didn't tell him, it would be like lying to him through omission. That's what had gotten me into such a mess before, right? I had lied to my friends about Stevie Rae and Loren, and that had put a wedge between us.

Stark said that he would protect me no matter what, and I knew that he would. If I just sat down and explained to him what was going on, he would understand.

Wouldn't he?

A ray of sunlight hit me, bringing me out of my thoughts. I automatically jumped further into the room I had been going in to get away from it. When I did, I tripped over something I hadn't seen and fell onto my hands and knees.

For a moment, I didn't think about anything. I just fell into the floor and laid there, staring under the crumbling desk and enjoying the softness underneath my head.

Softness?

I looked down to see that I was laying on a blanket and pillow. The very same blanket and pillow that Kalona and I had been on. A small whimpering sound came from my throat, and I closed my eyes really tight to keep from crying. I was in some major bullpoopie.

"Oh, Goddess, help me." I whispered. "This can't be happening. You told me that everything would be okay. That we would be fine…"

I flipped over onto my back and looked down at my stomach. "Could it be true?" I said aloud as my hands slowly made their way to my tummy. It didn't feel any different. It didn't look any different. But how was it supposed to look or feel any different this early if I was pregnant?

Suddenly, I shot up. Maybe there was a way I could figure all of this out.

I ran as fast as I could, all the way back to my room. Stark was sleeping like a baby - and I do mean a baby, fetal position and all - and snoring softly. I grabbed a sweatshirt of mine and some fresh jeans to change into. When that was taken care of, I ran to Aphrodite's room.

When I got there, I peeked into her room to see that she hadn't returned to it yet. I was just about to go to the kitchen when I heard something. Turning to my right, I saw that Aphrodite was at the very end of the hall. She waited there while I walked towards her.

"What's up?" she whispered.

"I have a plan. Neferet isn't at the House of Night at the moment."

"Uh-huh. Already knew about her running off right before we got there last night." she interrupted. I narrowed my eyes at her and she said, "Okay, okay! I'll be quiet."

"Anyways," I started, "Neferet isn't there, so I can easily sneak onto the grounds and into my room for a minute. I'm going to conceal my tattoos and then grab the keys to my bug. I'll go into town and then…" I didn't know a way to put this lightly.

As I searched for what I wanted to say, Aphrodite said something totally out of character for her: "Z, you can tell me anything. You don't have to put it a certain way to try and get me to understand. I know that there are things you have to do that won't make sense to me sometimes. Hell, sometimes _I _have to do things that don't make sense to me. Whatever it is, I'll understand."

She sounded just like how Stevie Rae sounded before she had died and then un-died. For a moment, I missed those times. Yes, they were crazy because I was trying to get a hold of this totally different world Nyx put me in, but it was a hell of a whole lot better than it was at that moment.

I took a deep breath. "I'm going to go buy a pregnancy test."

Aphrodite gasped. "Uh, are you sure that's going to work? I mean, first of all, it hasn't been that long. From what I remember about those things, you have to wait a while before they pick up on anything. Secondly, you're a fledgling. You're body isn't the same as a human's. What if it can't pick up on that?"

I took what she said into consideration. She was silent as I thought. "Well, I suppose I'll get the kind that has two tests in it. Hell, I might even buy two of those so that I have four tests. For now, I would like to see if it would pick up on it."

Aphrodite looked to the ground. She mumbled something that I couldn't understand and then looked up at me. She must have seen the what-did-you-say look on my face because she took a deep breath and said, "So, you really do think you're…pregnant?"

I thought about what to say next very carefully. I didn't want to come right out and say yes because that would totally freak her out, and saying it out loud would freak me out, too. But, even as I thought that I didn't want to say it out loud, I realized that maybe I could find out if I was pregnant by saying it out loud. I mean, sometimes I got that feeling in my gut that told me I was right about something while I was saying it. It could work for this, too, right? _Right_?

"Yes. I really do." I said. A chill ran through my body as I did, indeed, get that feeling in my gut that told me I was right. It was getting hard for me to breathe as the chill went through me, and some part of me wondered how Nyx could let something like this happen.

"Zoey?" Aphrodite's voice sounded like it was coming out of a tunnel. "Hey, you don't look so good."

I slowly shook my head back and forth a couple of times, as if denying it would make it not true. Another chill took over my body, forcing me to take deep breaths in order to keep from falling down.

"Ohmygoddess!" Aphrodite's hand whipped out and took hold of my arm. "You really are, aren't you?"

I nodded my head, not trusting my voice. Aphrodite pulled me into a hug, which would've surprised me if I hadn't been preoccupied freaking out. "It's okay. We'll get through this like we get through everything else." she whispered in my ear.

Suddenly, Aphrodite went rigid in my arms. As I started to pull away to ask what was wrong, she said, "Uh, Z?"

I turned around to see a groggy, yet still very determined, Stark coming our way. He looked like he was trying to stay awake, which made sense because the sun was still up. I hastily rubbed my eyes, trying to get the tears that had been forming to go away. Stark looked up then, and when he caught sight of me, he started to run.

He put his hands on my shoulders and said, "Zoey, what's wrong?"

Of course. He'd felt the terror that had racked through me when I realized I was pregnant. I tried to say something, anything, but every time I opened my mouth no sound came out.

Aphrodite stepped forward from behind me. She put her hand on Stark's shoulder to get his attention. When he looked at her, she said, "There's some things we need to discuss."

"Why can't she speak?" Stark nearly screamed.

Aphrodite shushed him. "Seriously, be quiet. We can't have everyone waking up and knowing what's going on. This needs to stay between the three of us for a little while." She looked around and then motioned for us to follow her into a room.

Once inside, I realized that it was one of the rooms the red fledglings used for storage. There were canned foods, sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, water…all sorts of things piled up on the walls. There was just enough room for the three of us to stand together.

"Okay. So, you know how Nyx needed Zoey's help to get to Kalona? Well…"

And with that, Aphrodite launched into my horrible, gut-wrenching story.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm really glad that there are some people out there enjoying my story. I am so loving writing it. Also, big thank you's to **_**vampirelover18 **_**and **_**flowergirl **_**for the reviews! I was wondering when I was going to get some of those. =] There's a lot that takes place in this chapter, so you'll have to pay special attention to it. I've tried to explain everything as best I could, but I would understand if some of you get a little confused. Let me know if I've left you lost anywhere in the story in a review or a PM and I will do my best to explain it to you. Some of the parts in this chapter need to be read between the lines. So, keep that in mind. Enjoy!**__

I had no idea where Stark had gone, and it kind of made me mad. I mean, I realized that what had happened was a lot to take in, but _I _was the one who was neck-deep in a pile of crap. He should've been there to comfort me and tell me that everything was going to be okay. Instead, he muttered something about not being able to protect me from "that thing" because it was inside of me.

I was in Aphrodite's room. She'd asked Darius to go sleep in my room because she and I needed to talk. He did as she asked, and even left her with a kiss. I reluctantly thought that that was how Stark should've treated me.

"Look," Aphrodite said, "you need to get some sleep. Try to stop thinking about this for the time being. We are going to figure something out. We already agreed that we would tell Stevie Rae and Rephaim after sunset. Maybe bird-boy will know what to do."

I simply nodded. We laid down on the bed and sat there in silence until I finally drifted into the dark…

Of course, Kalona was there the moment I appeared in the dream. I could tell that this time he had chosen the place we were at because he chose to be in Nyx's kingdom. He was wearing a white, button-down shirt with blue lining on the sleeves. His pants matched the shirt, and both went with his beautiful white wings. He wasn't wearing shoes, and I internally laughed at the fact that some things never change.

"Oh, thank the Goddess you are here, Zoey!" Kalona said, moving toward me.

I put up a hand to stop him. When he did, I said, "I think it would be best if we just keep our distance from each other. What's going on isn't right, and you know it."

He nodded slightly. "I understand." He looked down at my stomach, and then quickly away. That surprised me. "I am…so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

I failed my attempt at a small smile. "It's not completely your fault. I mean- Wait." I took two small steps toward him. "Do you know?"

Kalona looked as if he might shatter. I had never, ever seen this kind of emotion on his face before, not even when Rephaim had been hurt. I thought that that must have had something to do with the fact that I had never seen Kalona good before. When he was bad, it was really hard for him to feel anything except anger, lust, passion… Now, he felt bad for his actions.

"Zoeybird, I thought I knew what might have happened the last time I saw you. I wanted to be for sure, though." He sounded like he was grinding his teeth together.

I gasped. "Did you talk to Nyx? Did you find out what we can do to stop this?"

I hadn't realized that I had walked closer to him - yet again - until he grabbed my arms. "No. I haven't. I don't need to, either. I know what is going on." When I just tilted my head up at him, he said, "I love you, Zoey. I can feel it. But I can also feel that I love something else about you…"

When he said that he loved me, it took my breath away. I almost didn't hear what he said after that. I had wanted to take him in my arms and whisper sweet things to him. Instead, I made myself focus on what he was saying - which was harder than you would think - and I understood. "Th-the b-baby." I stuttered.

"_Our _baby." Kalona corrected me.

When he said that, my entire being was torn. Half of me loved what he said. It made me want to dance and laugh and be with him forever. The other half was full of terror. Not only did I not want to have a kid - come on! I was just a kid - but I also didn't want to have one with Kalona. If I had to pick anyone to be prego with, it would be Stark.

I seriously thought I was going to hyperventilate.

"No. Kalona, this can't happen. You know it can't happen." I told him, trying to get a grip on myself.

Suddenly, I was in his arms. He was rocking and soothing me, like I was a baby. I realized that in no time he would be rocking a real baby like this. A shudder passed through me with the thought.

"Oh, love. Do not be sad. Here, let me take you to my favorite place here. Once there, I will explain everything to you." Before I could say anything back to him, he unfolded his wings and lifted us into the air.

I couldn't see anything as we flew, not only because he had my head tucked safely under his chin, but also because we were going way too fast. Within a matter of minutes, we were on a giant hill that looked out over an ocean. We landed right next to a giant oak tree planted in the middle of the greenest grass I had ever seen.

Kalona put me down and walked over to the tree to sit. When he was comfortable, he turned back to me and put his hand out, motioning for me to join him. I did as he wanted, but I sat a couple of feet away from him. I did not want to get tempted yet again.

He laughed and, without much effort, slid me into the side of his body. I expected to want him, but was surprised. Instead, it felt…comfortable. I was snug, and he looked like he was, too.

It was quiet for a long time. We sat there, looking at the water, stealing occasion glances at each other. I couldn't help that everything but he and I disappeared from my mind. I was trying to decide if I wanted to kiss him or not when he let out a long sigh.

"After the Ghigua Women trapped me in the earth with A-ya, I heard them putting a spell on me. I wasn't paying much attention to it, being fully preoccupied with A-ya." He stopped, looking the opposite direction as me.

"Don't worry about that." I said. "Don't worry about _me_. Go on."

He looked a little relieved as he continued, "I did get that they were trying to keep me from doing the…horrible things I had done before. They didn't want any more of my children roaming the earth.

"I didn't think much of it then, and still didn't even after I was awakened by the Tsi Sgili. It just didn't make much sense that I would impregnate another Cherokee woman since they were all but gone. Or, at least, they weren't the only ones I was around anymore.

"The spell they put on me was a very strong one. It wouldn't have been possible for them to put it on me if it hadn't been for their numbers. They decided that if one of their women was ever to hold my child again, that I was to love her and treat her the way a mate is to be treated. They didn't think that any Cherokee woman would ever sleep with me willingly, so they decided to cast yet another spell.

"This one was made for the woman who held my child. She would fall in love with me, too. They wanted us to be together so that I wouldn't make more children with other women, and that our child would have both of its parents. Their idea was that we would be one big, happy family."

He took a deep breath, still looking out at the water, and kissed the top of my head. "I'm afraid that there is no way to break it, it is so strong. Many women placed this spell on me, and their daughters repeated it every ten years. It wasn't until their people had nearly forgotten me that they stopped."

I hadn't been looking at him while he spoke. I was too busy processing everything that he told me. Now, I did look up at him. "So, you're saying that we're doomed to love each other, but never able to be together?"

His eyes met mine. They looked so sad, it made me want to cry. "When did I say that we'll never be able to be together?"

My breathing hitched. Did he really think it was possible for us to be together? I knew that, deep down, there was a part of me that didn't love Kalona. It was the very same part that was in love with Stark; the very same part that wanted to be curled up with Stark at this very moment, in bed. But I could also feel the magic of my people's spell, forcing me to feel things for Kalona.

"You didn't. But we can't." He opened his mouth to protest, but I kept speaking. "Kalona, there is something I have to tell you. Aphrodite had a vision."

"About us?" His eyebrows lifted when he said it.

I nodded. "She said…that we do fall in love. You and I. But she also said that we can't be together because you will be in the Otherworld and I will be on earth. There's just no way we can be together."

I took a deep breath and kept going. "In her vision, you came back to earth to be with me."

"I fell again?" Kalona shuddered as he said it. I knew that the last time he fell, it hurt him. A lot. And not just physically, either. It also hurt his pride, and his feelings - although, being a man, he would never admit that.

"No!" I didn't like seeing him so scared. "You turned of your own free will from Nyx. You wanted to be with me more than you wanted to be in her kingdom. But, when you did, your wings turned black again. So, some of your light faded, and darkness took over again."

He nodded, looking out at the ocean. "I could see how that would happen. Soon, I will not be able to take being away from you. I will gladly trade being good to be with you."

"You can't!" I jumped, feeling that I needed to do something physical so that he would listen to me. He grabbed my waist to hold me where I was, so I decided I would just take his face in my hands. It made me so happy to be able to touch him like that, even though I knew it was wrong. "Aphrodite said that when you do, I have the baby, but somehow…"

"Somehow…?"

"I die." He took a sharp breath. So, trying to keep him from saying anything so that I could tell him the rest, I quickly explained. "You turn completely from the light then. I don't know what happens to our child. Aphrodite didn't say anything about it. But she did say that you team up with Neferet, and that you two destroy the world. Together."

"That…" he said, slowly, "will never happen. I will never, ever turn back to the Tsi Sgili."

"But it will. If you come down to be with me, it will. So, you see? We can't be together. No matter how much it pains us, we just can't. I have to be with Stark. I _want _to be with Stark."

A spasm went through Kalona when I said Stark's name. "No. I will not share you with him."

"There won't be any sharing going on." He relaxed when I said that. "I will be with Stark. You will be with A-ya. It's that simple."

He'd tensed up when I kept speaking, and now he pulled away from me to look directly at me. "Zoey, I don't think you fully understand what I explained to you."

I snorted. Again, I got the weird feeling in my stomach at how easy it was to be around him now. If you had told me when Kalona first came out of the ground that I would be sitting with him under a tree, talking about our future, I would've laughed in your face. I realized just how weird life could be.

"Oh, I understand. Look, when I'm not around you, I don't feel anything for you. We just have to stay away from each other. It will be easy." I explained.

I could see the frustration in his face as he got up and started pacing. "No, it will not be easy. Have you forgotten that you are holding my child in your stomach as we speak? That it is growing inside you?" He stopped pacing and came over to me to put his hand on my stomach. "Will your warrior help you raise a child that is not his?"

"I-I… I don't know." I whispered.

"But that is the least of your worries. The spell that has been put on us, it will grow stronger with time. The longer our child grows inside you, the more we will feel for each other. Soon, we won't let anything get in the way of each other. You will be all that I can think about, just as I will be all you can think about.

"Your warrior may stay with you while you still have control over yourself, but he will never stay with you once the spell is completed and you are infatuated with me. Just as my A-ya will not stay with me." he explained.

While he had been speaking, tears had started to form in my eyes. Just thinking about Stark leaving me made me want to curl up in a ball and stay like that for the rest of my life. Worse than that, though, was the fact that my intuition was telling me that everything he was saying was true, and that made me want to cry even more.

I'd thought the tears were going to pool over as he spoke, but his last sentence stopped them in their tracks. Hearing him say "my A-ya" had started a fire inside me, one made of nothing but jealousy. I was suddenly angry with him. I knew it was wrong. After all, I had just told him that I wanted to be with Stark, but picturing him with her… It ripped my heart out.

"Get off me!" I yelled, flinging his hand off my stomach. I didn't think I'd actually be able to get him off, but I didn't even have to try. As soon as I said it, he stood back up and took three steps backward. As he did, I stood up and brushed myself off, feeling the anger inside me grow.

"Don't you dare ever speak to me like that again." I'd thought the words would sound very mean and powerful. Instead, they came out soft and airy, as if it was hard for me to speak. I realized that the fire that was burning in me was no longer one of jealousy and anger, but of sadness and hurt.

Kalona made no move toward me. He didn't even look at me. Instead, staring at the ground, he whispered, "You see? It's already happening."

This time, I did burst into tears. I put my face in my hands and cried harder than I ever had before. I said a few things, but I didn't pay much attention to them. I was vaguely aware that Kalona had come to me and wrapped his arms around me, trying to comfort me.

"T-this is g-g-going to des-stroy us-s." I stuttered.

He didn't say anything for a very long time. He just stood there, holding me as I cried like a big baby. There was a part of me that wanted to hold on to him forever, but I pushed it down, telling myself that I could fight this.

Finally, he said, "Yes. It will. But at least we will be destroyed together."

I wasn't used to hearing things so bad put so bluntly. I expected to hear him say something close to what Aphrodite had said earlier, that we would get through this. That it would all be okay. Hearing him say the truth made me sob harder. My knees started to feel like jelly, and just when I thought I would fall down, Kalona picked me up like he had earlier.

He carried me over to the tree and sat so that he was leaned up against it, still holding me in his arms. We stayed like that for a while. I cried while he held my head to his chest, stroking my hair and rocking me back and forth. At times, I would feel like I had done enough crying, but I would wind up thinking about our situation again and start crying harder.

Finally, Kalona lifted my head up to look at him. I was suddenly self-conscious, knowing that my eyes were puffy, my face was red, and I had tears and snot running down my face. It shouldn't have surprised me that he pulled a tissue out of his pants pocket - because we were in a dream - but it did. I took it and blew my nose while he wiped my tears away with his index finger.

Suddenly, Kalona stiffened. He looked around like he was trying to find something. As he did, he pulled me into his chest, this time in a protective gesture.

"What?" I whispered. "What is it?"

"I do not know." he whispered right back. "I feel a…presence. One that should not be here."

Brilliantly, I said, "What do you mean?"

This time Kalona brought my face up to his. He was doing it so slowly that when his nose almost touched my nose, I thought he was going to kiss me(was it bad that I wanted him to?). Instead, he turned at the last moment so that he could whisper in my ear, "Someone - or something - that should not be _allowed _to be here, is. Or, rather-" He paused, sitting straight up and looking around. When he put his mouth next to my ear again, he finished, "_was_ here."

"It's gone now?" I asked. Man, I was just full of questions.

He nodded. "Forget that for now. Zoey…" He stopped, shaking his head a little while he looked at the ground.

"Yes?" I bent so that my face was in the way of him looking at the ground. He gave a small smile and cupped my face in his hands.

He looked back and forth from each of my eyes a few times, his smile slowly disappearing as he did. I imagine my face scrunched up seeing his smile falter. "Zoey, you aren't going to do something…you'd regret, are you?"

I didn't get what he was talking about. My face must have been a giant question mark because he whispered, "You wouldn't…try to do something to yourself…"

I still didn't get it for a second. Well, more like a fraction of a second. Oh boy, did I get what he was saying. I just didn't want to believe I had heard him correctly. "You think I'd try to _kill myself_?"

I'd pulled away from him while I said it and he grabbed my arms to keep me in his lap. "No! Well, I suppose…" I was about to yell at him, but he saw my mouth open and he put his fingers to my lips. "I just mean that, well, the way you were crying along with Aphrodite's vision, it made me think that you might try to do something to yourself or the baby."

"The baby? How would I do something to the baby?" I asked.

His face suddenly became extremely grim. "Some of the women that became pregnant with my children did things. They knew what my children looked like. Half human, half raven. They didn't want to have children like that. They did all sorts of things. Some fasted, thinking that if they didn't get any nutrients, the baby wouldn't either and would die. Some actually tried to extract the baby, which, for those times, was fatal."

"What happened?" I asked, morbidly curious.

"They died. All of them. My children are very strong. The only thing that killed them, if they were still in the womb, was when their mother would die."

I thought about this for a minute. I had never even thought of trying anything like that. In fact, I was pro-life when it came to abortion. From the moment I realized I was pregnant, I hadn't even realized that I could do something like that to get rid of it. I just assumed that I was stuck with the baby. I'm not going to lie, after he explained to me what some of the mothers tried to do, I did think about trying it for a second. Of course, the next second I thought about how wrong it was to end a life like that.

I looked Kalona straight in the face. "I would never do anything like that. The only way I would even _try _would be if the baby threatened _my _life." As soon as I said it, it dawned on me. Aphrodite's vision hadn't shown her how I died, just that I did die. What if I died giving birth to the baby?

I must have made a sound when I thought about that because Kalona grabbed my arms again and started talking to me. I wasn't listening to what he said. I was too horrified thinking about the fact that I was going to die. No matter what I did, I would die. If I tried to kill the baby inside me, I would die. If I had the baby, I would die. I couldn't win.

"I'm going to die…" I whispered. It was like I was by myself, like Kalona wasn't there anymore even though he was screaming at me and trying to get me to look at him. "The mothers of your children had a very hard time giving birth. It's going to kill me."

"No!" With that, Kalona kissed me. It wasn't sweet or soft, not at all. It was rough and passionate. It was filled with hunger, hunger for me and my body. I didn't really mean to kiss him back; it just happened. My body just took over my mind. My tongue snaked out and licked his lip, causing a giant shudder to go through him.

He lifted me up and set me on the ground, setting himself on top of me. He kissed me some more, trying to take his clothes off as he did. I joined him, trying to take my own clothes off. Just as I was reaching for the hook of my bra, he screamed out, "No! Not yet!"

My eyes popped open. Kalona wasn't on top of me anymore, and I was fully clothed. Someone was shaking me. I looked over to see Aphrodite next to me, a look of annoyance on her face.

"Goddess, you sleep like the dead. I've been trying to get you up for the past five minutes." she said, now rubbing her temples. "I've got a killer hangover."

I frowned. My insides were still shaking from what had just happened with Kalona. I forced myself to sit up. "Do you have some medicine you could take?"

She got off the bed - fully dressed and with make up on, so I assumed she'd been up for a while - and grabbed her purse. "Yeah, but I can't take it now. I don't have anything to drink. I'll take it when we get to the kitchen."

"Huh?" I asked. That made sense since I usually went to get breakfast each morning when I woke up, but the dream I'd had had me wanting to take a cold shower.

Aphrodite waved her hand at me and made an exasperated sigh. "Do I have to explain everything to you? Why can't you just do something without having to know everything?"

"Oh, sorry. I don't need to know everything around here. I'm just the High Priestess." I gave her a long, narrow-eyed look.

She sighed. "Just come on. I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I figured some stuff out. We have to explain to Stevie Rae everything that is going on. Darius, too. Don't ask me why. You'll find out soon enough. They're waiting in the kitchen as we speak and we don't have much time. We have to be at the school in an hour for Dragon's memorial and some people still need to get ready."

Ah, hell.

**Okay, I realized after re-reading this chapter that I hadn't mentioned something pretty important. Just to let you know, Zoey does realize that her baby is probably going to be a Raven Mocker. Right now, she's just in denial. I needed to let you guys know that so that when it comes up in the next chapter you won't be confused.**

**So, leave me some reviews and let me know how you felt about this chapter. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Thanks =]**


	7. Neferet

**Hello there! This is yet another important chapter. You will start to gain some insight as to what is going to be the climax of the story. I had to write it in Neferet's(ewww!) point of view because it just wouldn't make sense coming from Zoey's. But don't worry, Zoey and her friends are coming back in the next chapter. I may even write a chapter from someone else's perspective, like Stevie Rae. Well, here we go!**

_**Neferet**_

Neferet sank back into her chair, seething. How could she have let that stupid fledgling out her? She'd done everything right. She was even getting the Vampyre High Council to believe that she was, indeed, Nyx. Sure, it was taking a little time, but that was to be expected.

Now, all her plans were ruined. There was no way that the council would believe Neferet over Thanatos. Thanatos had been on the council for as long as Neferet could remember. The entire council was practically family, they had been together so long. Before Neferet had gotten smart and was still working with Nyx she'd wanted to be a part of that council one day. Now, she could see just how weak and powerless they really were.

She needed to act fast. It had only been two days, and she knew for a fact that Thanatos was still at the Tulsa House of Night and hadn't contacted the High Council. Neferet had put another - this time undetectable - spell around the perimeter of the House of Night. She knew that Zoey and her pack had gone back to the tunnels and hadn't been back yet. She also had her red fledglings in the House of Night that would come tell her things.

Her consort - thought she wasn't sure if she could call him that yet -, the white bull, had come to see her once since her true nature had been revealed. It hadn't been a long visit, but it let her know that he still wanted her with him and would try to protect her. After all, they wanted the same thing, and he needed her in order to get it. She thought about their meeting while she sipped on a cup of blood, wishing she had the fresh stuff instead of the refrigerated kind.

She'd been staying at an apartment that she bought a long time ago just for an occasion such as this. She kept it off the books so that if she was ever discovered she could hide from everyone. The only one who had come with her was Skylar, her cat.

Pacing back and forth while thinking about her next move and casting every idea she had aside, she felt a sudden change in the air. She'd felt this many times before, but she was never as happy to feel it as she was that time.

"Oh, my lord! I am as delighted as ever to see you!" She bowed down before him - not the formal bow a vampyre gives his High Priestess, but rather a bow of deep respect, one that had her on her knees in front of him.

_Arise, my cold-hearted one. _the bull whispered in her mind. She did as he said, wondering how it was possible for him to fit in her little living room. She hadn't picked this apartment out for luxury, the vampyres would assume that she would be somewhere like that. Instead, she picked a small apartment right outside of Tulsa. It consisted of one small bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen. It had a balcony, but Neferet didn't like it very much. It made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time: afraid.

It wasn't like she was afraid of being up so high on the balcony. No, she would never be afraid of something like that. She was immortal now, and that meant that if she fell it would not hurt her, let alone kill her. No, she feared being on the balcony because it was out in the open. Who knew how many people Thanatos had sent out to find her? If they spotted her, she might be able to make a quick getaway, but she wouldn't be able to go through with her plans to get Zoey back, however that would be.

Neferet said nothing as the white bull looked at her. She had failed him. She let him down by letting Zoey's group prove she was not following Nyx's path anymore.

Finally, the white bull whispered, _We have some planning to do._

"What shall we do?" she asked. She had come up with many things before he arrived, but none of them would work. It seemed as soon as she thought of something to try, she thought of something that could hinder the plan, or realize that it just wouldn't work at all.

_I have some things that must be done. Do not worry_, he said when he saw the expression on her face. _I am doing these things alone. I think I may have something that will help you._

Neferet slung her long, dark hair behind her shoulders. She knew she could count on her bull! "May I accompany you, my lord?"

_No. _He didn't say it in a demeaning manner, like Neferet thought he would. Instead, he said it as if she was a child who needed to stay home while its parents went out. _But I do require something of you_.

Neferet knew what he meant just by the way he said it. "Oh, yes, my lord." She walked over to him, pulled her arm up, and sliced a long gash in it with her fingernail. She held the gash up to his mouth. He didn't drink like she thought he would. "My lord?"

_Consort._ he whispered. _Call me consort._

Neferet gave a shiver. She'd asked him before if she could call him her consort, but he had never given her an answer. She didn't have much time to think about it before he licked the blood that had been running down her arm. This time, she shivered violently.

She heard the moan coming from the white bull in her mind. This is how it is supposed to be, she thought.

_Yes,_ the white bull agreed. She was so used to keeping her thoughts hidden from everyone that she was surprised when he agreed with her. _This _is _how it is supposed to be. The both of us, together, shivering in ecstasy._

His response, although flattering, was unexpected. Sure, he had shown her that he fancied her, but he had never come right out and said something so…affectionate. At least, coming from the white bull it was affectionate.

He stopped loping up the blood from her arm and looked into her eyes. She licked her arm as he watched, causing the gash to heal up. She hadn't wanted him to stop drinking from her, but she knew that there were more important things at hand. They had to figure out a way to get Thanatos, Zoey, and the rest of those damn rats out of their way.

_I have made a decision. _the while bull announced, cutting off Neferet's thoughts.

Usually, Neferet was quiet while the white bull told her things. Today was different. For the first time in a long time, she was nervous and jittery. She'd been in control of everything in her life from the moment she changed into a full vampyre. Now, her life and its future was in the hands of the white bull. He would be her only savior. "And that is…?"

The white bull gave a little chuckle. _You've become impatient, my cold one. It makes my decision all the more right._

"Forgive me, consort. I do not mean to be disrespectful."

Yet again, he gave a little laugh. _Oh, do not be sorry. You have become comfortable with me, which is only right to be with your consort. I have lived a long time with no one by my side. No one but shadows and coldness. I have decided that you will join me in my life. We will complete each other. I shall help you get out of this…predicament._

She knew she could count on the white bull! She had been hoping since the moment she left the House of Night that he would appear and help her. So many things had been running through her mind, things that left her feeling anxious. She didn't like that feeling. She wanted to be in control again.

_I have gained some information. Vital information. I am in need of some power. Some that I will get from you, but you must trust me._

"I trust you completely. With my very life." Neferet meant every word she said.

The white bull took a step toward her. _I have brought you a gift. Look out on the balcony. Conceal yourself in Darkness so that no one will see you._

Neferet wanted to do as he asked, but she had doubts. "I'm afraid that if there is someone watching they will sense the power coming from me."

_I will cloud that power for you, consort. Step out on the balcony and claim your gift from me._ he whispered.

She took a deep breath and commanded Darkness to cover her, to hide her from unwanted eyes. She had no idea what the white bull had brought her, but she trusted him completely and would do as he said. Whatever it was, she had a feeling that it would help them with their quest for the world. Just thinking about it made her giddy. Soon, the world would be what they wanted: filled with Darkness, Darkness that was controlled by them. She pictured standing next to her consort while the world bowed down at their feet.

Neferet stepped out on the balcony, not needed to look around for her gift, for she could see it as soon as she opened the door. A young man lay there, his leg broken, keeping him from trying to run away. When he heard the door open, he looked up. He could not see Neferet, but he knew something had to be there to open the door. He must have been expecting the white bull because he let out a little whine.

She dragged the man in the door. As soon as she touched him the Darkness that had been clouding her appearance lapped onto him to do the same. No one would be able to see either of them.

Once inside, Neferet thanked Darkness for shielding her and gave it a little blood to keep it satisfied. The young man had lost consciousness when Darkness touched him, and he lay in a heap at Neferet's feet.

"What is this for, consort?" she asked.

_I must drink from you, almost to full consumption. _Neferet gave a little gasp, but the white bull continued. _I will not kill you, cold one. I just need to gain some power from you. I have enough on my own to do as I wish, but I will not be able to do it for long without some outside help. This will benefit both of us. Let me drink from you, and then you may drink this one to replenish yourself._

Although Neferet didn't like being so vulnerable to anyone, she knew that this was the price to pay to be the white bull's consort.

Skylar jumped in Neferet's lap, making her come back to the present. She had done what the white bull said, but she hadn't heard from him since. He'd come to her right after she had fled, and now it had been two nights since he had been there.

"Oh, Skye." she whispered. "What shall we do?"

Her cat had long ago figured out that Neferet wasn't the High Priestess she pretended to be. If she hadn't known better, she would say that Skylar knew she was turning to Darkness before she did. Of course, cats did have great instincts, so it wouldn't surprise her if he did.

Before Skye could give her any indication that he was listening to her, he leaped off her lap and ran into the bathroom. She was wondering why as she felt the familiar shimmer of Darkness that meant the white bull was there.

She got up and walked, silently, into the living room. The white bull was standing there, exactly where he had been before. If Neferet hadn't been so used to seeing the bull, she wouldn't have known that he wore an expression of happiness on his face.

"Consort," she whispered, hurrying to him. "Have you done what it was you needed to do?"

_Oh, yes. I have._ he whispered in her mind. He did, indeed, sound happy.

A dark smile formed on Neferet's face. She knew that any expression she wore could change everything about her. She was very good at manipulating people, so changing everything about herself was something that she learned to do a long time ago. At that moment, she knew that if one were to look at her, they would see her true nature.

"How shall we proceed?" she asked.

_First, my cold-hearted one, tell me: how are you feeling?_

His question surprised her. She was so used to the white bull doing what he wanted, not caring about anyone else, including her. She knew that he was serious about becoming her consort, but it hadn't occurred to her that that would change anything about their relationship. He already treated her like a queen, but now he treated her like she was in charge.

"I am fine, love." she said. She had never called him that before, but she wanted to test the waters. If he said something about it, she wouldn't call him that again.

If it bothered him, he didn't say anything about it. In fact, it seemed he hardly noticed what she said. _Good. You will need all of your power tonight._

Neferet felt giddy about using her powers, especially if it was something that she needed to be really strong for. There was just something about commanding things to do your bidding that she couldn't explain. It was something that she had never felt when she was still on Nyx's side.

"What will we be doing tonight?" she asked.

_I have some things to explain to you. Some very…strange things. Nonetheless, it seems that things have worked out in our favor._

If the white bull could smile, he would have. Neferet could tell just by the tone of his voice that he was smiling inwardly.

_It seems that Nyx has put Zoey up to something that will doom her._

"The Goddess has chosen to end Zoey's life?" How could that possibly be? she thought. Nyx was the one who had marked Zoey to put an end to the Darkness she had turned to. She'd picked Zoey to do her bidding, just as Neferet picked Darkness to do hers.

The white bull snorted. _Of course not. She didn't choose to do it; she just didn't think it would turn out that way._

Neferet didn't understand. "My love, what do you mean? What is going on here?"

_Nyx came up with a plan to get Kalona out of Zoey and her friends' way. It just so happens that I was at the House of Night when she showed herself to the gang. _Neferet couldn't believe her ears. The Goddess had shown herself? That was very out of character. She was going to point that out, but the white bull continued.

_Before she could explain to Zoey what she wanted her to do, they cast a circle, so I could not hear what they were saying. However, it was very easy to pluck the plan from Zoey's warrior's mind. Nyx wanted Zoey to tap into the part of her that is A-ya and seduce Kalona._

Well, this was a first. Neferet knew that Zoey would do anything for her Goddess, but she never thought it would go that far. Even though she had a new consort, Neferet could not help that she was jealous of Zoey. She had laid with Kalona before and knew how well he was in bed.

_From there, Nyx would take over her body and tell Kalona to ask forgiveness. He did, and now he is back in her kingdom. However, he did leave a piece of himself with Zoey…_

Neferet didn't get his meaning at first. She gasped when she finally got it. "How can that be possible? Zoey is a fledgling, and like every fledgling or vampyre, she is not able to reproduce."

He laughed. _I thought of this, myself. It is impossible, yet it has happened. Here is my theory: I believe that because a part of Zoey's soul was A-ya, she was part human, and that part of her is what allowed her to become pregnant. I do not know if I am right; it is just a theory._

It sounded plausible to Neferet.

_Here is where you come into play, my cold one. With your power that I gained, I was able to spy on Kalona and Zoey. It seems that they have had a spell put on them that binds them together because of the child. In order to prove that Zoey is wrong about you - and evil, herself - you must gain some of her blood. I do not care how you get it, just do it._

_With our powers combined, you and I will put a spell on that child of hers. There is no way to get rid of the child. She will have to give birth to it. We will make the child evil; fill it with Darkness. It already has the potential to be on our side, given its father was filled with Darkness when it was created._

_Not only will the child be on our side when it is born - and play a special part in our taking over the world - but it will also kill Zoey while she is giving birth to it. When we put this spell on it, it will no longer be in the shape of man. It will be like Aurox - half man, half bull._

_This next part we have to get exactly right. When the time comes for the baby to be born, you must do another spell. This is the one that will change its form. I will help you, of course. When it changes, its horns will form. They will rip her from the inside, out._

Neferet shivered with anticipation. She knew that he had not explained everything to her - she could sense it - but she knew that he didn't have time to tell her everything. Besides, she already had all the information she needed. She knew that once Zoey had the child, she would be able to sway the council into believing that Zoey was the one who was consorted with Darkness because she had Darkness' child.

So, climbing onto the back of her lovely white bull, Neferet and Darkness set off to begin their plan.


	8. Chapter 8

**You demanded that I update soon, so guess what? I am! Haha! I really hope you guys like it. Tell me what you think of this chapter =]**

Everything was out in the open now. Well, at least it was for Stevie Rae, Darius, Stark, and Aphrodite. I don't have to include myself in that list for you to get that I was in on it, too, right? Actually, I was more in on it than anyone else was. Hell, it was happening to me!

No one had really said anything as Aphrodite and I explained everything. I knew that all three of them were in really bad shock at the moment. I was kind of in shock, too. Aphrodite had told us all something that even I didn't know.

"So, let me get this straight. Ya'll want me to dig in somebody's mind so that we can check and see if Z's baby is, well, normal?" Stevie Rae said.

I wanted to shake my head no, but I knew that this was a pretty smart plan. I knew what went on when a woman went to get her baby checked out. I so didn't want to do that.

"Yes. We're going to have to do it tomorrow because we have to get to the school in…" Aphrodite checked her phone. "Shit. Now. Let's go. We'll talk about this more later."

Reluctantly, everyone got up and started going toward the entrance to the depot basement. I wanted to go to Stark, but I was afraid that he would be angry with me. Even though I should've been angry about him tossing me aside like a rag doll when he should've been comforting me, I was just hurt. He had never, ever been like this before.

So, you could say I was surprised when he grabbed my hand and held me back for a moment.

"Zoey, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.

"No, she can't. We've gotta get going." Aphrodite yelled back.

Stark didn't look away from me as he replied, "Get lost, hag!"

Apparently, that surprised Aphrodite because she didn't say anything back. She just turned on her heel and kept marching into the depot.

Stark let go of my hand and took my face in his. "Zoey, I am _so, so sorry._"

That was all it took for me to start crying. Goddess, why was I so emotional these days?

"Please don't do that. Don't cry. I love you, Zoey. I never meant to hurt you. It's just that…this is a lot to take in. It's also a big surprise, considering the fact that Nyx promised us that nothing would happen to you." he explained.

I managed to get a grip on myself while he was talking. "I know. Believe me, I know everything you were feeling. I've felt all of it. I still can't believe that this is happening."

He gave me a small smile and took my hands again. "Look, I just want you to know that I am going to be here for you through everything. I know that this isn't going to be easy, what with you and Kalona being majorly attracted to each other with the spell mojo, but I don't care. I'll stay right here beside you every single day."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't know how good it is to hear you say that."

He smiled as he bent down to give me the sweetest kiss I had ever had. It said all the things we didn't have time to say now. When we broke apart, he put one arm around me and kept it there while we walked out to the car Darius had gotten us.

It didn't take long to get to the House of Night because it was only a couple of miles down the road. We rode in silence, all of us thinking about how bad things had become. Well, at least, that was what I was thinking about. That, and the fact that my warrior would stay with me until the very end.

That thought suddenly made me think about that fact that I was going to die soon. I had, what, nine months to live? I hadn't told any of them that I was going to die, and I planned on keeping it that way.

Out of nowhere, Darius pulled the car over.

"What are ya doin'?" Stevie Rae asked. She was sitting to my left in the backseat. Stark was on my right, and Darius and Aphrodite were in the front.

Darius turned to look at us in the backseat. "I'm afraid that, even though Dragon Lankford deserves a memorial, we will not be able to attend."

"And just why is that?" Aphrodite asked.

I don't think that Stevie Rae or Aphrodite noticed what happened next. Stark gave Darius a very short nod, one that I almost didn't see. Darius immediately turned back to the wheel and started driving off past the House of Night.

"Hey!" Stevie Rae exclaimed. "Where are we goin'?"

Even though I was glad that I didn't have to go to Dragon's memorial - yes, I wanted to remember him and I would, but I had more pressing matters at hand - I chipped in with Stevie Rae. "Uh, the House of Night is back that way." I pointed backwards.

"We know." Stark told me. I was going to ask him why, if he knew we had passed it up, we were still going, but he kept talking. "We can't go there. Yet."

"Ugh, for the love of hell!" Aphrodite yelled. "Just tell us what the fuck is going on!"

Darius looked at her for a second before returning his eyes to the road. "It is only seven-thirty. The clinic should still be open. You need to understand that we need to handle all of this before we do anything else."

"Clinic?" I whispered. Stark must have heard the fear in my voice because he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek.

"Everything is going to be okay. We just need to get some things figured out." he assured me.

Stevie Rae looked at all four of us, slowly. It seemed as if she was living in her own world until she said, "Look, Z, I'm afraid that I'm with Darius and Stark. Even though Kalona turned good and all, we don't know if the, uh, baby is a…"

I knew what she was going to say. I mean, it wasn't that hard to figure out. She just couldn't say it. Just like I couldn't say it.

"Raven Mocker?" Leave it to Aphrodite to say what we all couldn't.

I took a deep, shuddering breath. I'd known that I would have to figure it out one way or another, I just didn't think it would be this soon. Suddenly, an idea formed in my head.

"Hey, guys? Uh, if it's so early in the, um, pregnancy, then what makes you think that we'll even be able to see the baby?" I asked.

"We are not sure if it will work." Darius said immediately. "But it is something that we have to try."

There wasn't a lot said after that. Darius drove while Aphrodite sang to the radio almost too low for me to hear. Stark kept his arms wrapped around me, every now and then saying that it was all going to be okay. Stevie Rae didn't make a peep, or move, for that matter. It seemed like she was a robot.

Finally, we made it to a small building that said, "Tulsa Heath and Clinic". Great title, I thought. These people obviously had no creative ability whatsoever.

"Stevie Rae, you're on." Stark said.

I watched as Stevie Rae got out of the car and walked over to the door of the building. I couldn't really see what was going on; I was too busy thinking about how awful this was going to be. She stood there for a minute before the door opened. She turned to the car and motioned for us to come in.

"Zoey, would you be more comfortable if Aphrodite and I come in and wait in the waiting room, or if we stayed in the car?" Darius asked.

Before I could tell him that I would love it if they would stay in the car, Aphrodite said, "Humph. _You _can stay in the car if you want to. _I _am going in."

Great.

I assumed that since Aphrodite was going in, Darius would, too. I was right. As soon as she got out of the car, Darius was right behind her. I guess it only made sense since he was her warrior.

When we got in the office, almost all of the lights were out. I could tell by looking at them that they were the fluorescent kind that made everything look like it was under examination. "I made them turn off the lights so that it wouldn't hurt our eyes. They were just closing when I got to the door." Stevie Rae said.

"That's actually a really good thing." Stark muttered before guiding me behind the front desk.

A woman was sitting there going through files. She looked up, obviously thinking we were doctors. "I found the file on Jamie- Hey! You can't be back here. We're closed."

Stevie Rae walked in front of us and said, making eye contact, "Yes, but we're very special patients. If you'll just direct us to the doctor's room, we'll be out of here in a jiffy."

The woman had a blank stare on her face. It kind of creeped me out watching it happen. I mean, I'd known that Stevie Rae could do this type of thing, but I had never actually seen her do it. "The only doctor who is still here is Dr. Romano. Her office is down the hall, to your right. It has her name printed on it in big letters."

Stevie Rae smiled at the woman. "Thank you very much, ma'am. We weren't here, okay?" The woman nodded. "Okay, well, go back to your filin'." She left the g off of filing, in her sweet, Okie twang. "Keep filin' 'til the doctor comes out, 'kay?" When the woman nodded again, Stevie Rae turned around to us. "Well? Let's go!"

Both Stark and I nodded, walking down the hall and turning right like the woman had said. We found the doctor's office right away. I went to grab the knob, but Stark stopped me.

"We need to let Stevie Rae go first."

I nodded, shaking on the inside, and stepped back. I could feel a sweat begin to prick on my forehead. I thought that I was going to throw up.

Stevie Rae walked in and did basically the same thing to the doctor, only this time she explained that she had a friend that needed to be checked out. It was crazy how the doctor went from being freaked that we were there, to zombie-like under Stevie Rae's gaze, and then to the happy doctor that she probably was with normal patients.

"Why don't you come with me down the hall?" Dr. Romano asked me. I simply nodded and followed her down the hall.

Stevie Rae waved to me and Stark before going back the way we had come. Aphrodite and Darius had stayed in the waiting room area.

Stevie Rae had explained to the doctor that we needed to get this done quickly, so all she made me do was lift my shirt so that she could get to my stomach with the ultrasound machine. She squeezed some really cold gel onto my stomach and then put a weird, microphone-looking thing in the gel.

"So, what are we hoping for?" Dr. Romano asked.

Stark and I looked at each other. "Uh, we don't really know yet." I said.

She just nodded and kept looking at a screen that was right next to her. She moved the microphone-looking thing all around my stomach. As she did this, I was squeezing the hell out of Stark's hand. I knew it must have been hurting him, but he didn't show it.

After a minute, I was getting hopeful. Maybe my feeling that I was pregnant was wrong! Maybe Kalona was wrong, too! But did that mean that I was really just attracted to him?

"Ah ha!" the doctor said, with a smile on her face. "Here we are."

I'd been looking down at my stomach when she said it. I took a deep breath and looked up at the screen.

"Oh. My. Goddess." I whispered. My eyes were filling up with tears as I looked at the screen.

Stark took in a sharp breath. "Well. Now we know." He let go of my hand and leaned over me to kiss my forehead. "I'm going to go get Stevie Rae."

I nodded. The doctor gave me a towel to wipe the gel off my stomach before leaving the room. I wiped it off, but my stomach still felt weird from the residue it left. When I pulled my shirt down, it stuck just a little bit to my skin.

I got up and walked over to the sink so that I could wipe off some of the residue. As I was, Dr. Romano came back into the room.

"I almost forgot." she said, walking over to me. "Here is a picture of your baby. Also, I didn't know if you knew how far along you are." I took the picture she handed to me and was about to tell her that I already knew how far along I was, but she just kept talking. "You're about two and a half weeks along."

You would think that I would scream something about that not being right, or ask her to look at it again. Maybe it would've been perfectly alright if I fainted or hyperventilated. Instead, I froze. I didn't know what to do. Did I want to keep standing, or sit down? Should I go get Stark? All these thoughts went through my head super slow, as if even my brain was frozen.

_I'd gotten pregnant yesterday!_ I was only supposed to be two days along. How was this even possible?

Stark flew into the room then, bow and arrow in hand. Once he'd surveyed the room, he said something to Dr. Romano that I didn't hear. They said a couple of sentences back and forth to each other, but I wasn't paying attention.

Stark's arm went around my waist. As we walked out the door, he started whispering things to me. They were sweet things that I only half paid attention to. I did notice that as we walked down the hall and into the waiting room, Stevie Rae went past us. I vaguely remembered that she needed to go back to the doctor to wipe her mind. Too bad she couldn't wipe my mind.

"Z?" Aphrodite shrieked when she caught sight of me. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

Darius walked quickly - with Aphrodite in hand - over to me. "Priestess, what could possibly be wrong? I thought we had already established that the baby is not a Raven Mocker. How could that be bad news?" he said.

Finally, some of the ice that had taken over my body thawed. "I, uh… Well, there's nothing wrong with the fact that the baby is a, well, normal baby. I'm actually really happy about that. It's just that…" I was having a hard time trying to find the right words.

"Zoey, sweetheart, I'll take it from here. You just come over here and sit down." Stark said. He tried to lead me over to the opposite side of the room, but I stopped him.

I took a deep breath. I couldn't act like this anymore. I had to get a grip on myself. Yes, this was going to be hard. Yes, it was going to be scary. No one had said that it wasn't going to be, and there was nothing I could do to change it. I would just have to deal with it. I was their High Priestess, and my duties weren't excused just because I had gotten knocked up by an immortal with a baby that would possibly end the world.

As I thought about that last part, I realized that Aphrodite's vision could be wrong. I mean, the baby was _normal_. It wasn't a scary half man, half raven beast that all of Kalona's other children were. Well, except for Rephaim.

Rephaim! Maybe I could get Kalona to stay in Nyx's kingdom and just have Rephaim raise his baby brother or sister after I…well, was gone. I thought about the fact that in some weird way this kind of made me closer to Rephaim.

Finally, I said, "No. I'll stay right here. Let me explain this to them. I'm alright now. I promise."

Stark smiled - obviously liking that I was back to myself - and put his hand in mine. "Well, yes, ma'am." I was so happy that Stark could still be cocky while all of this was going on.

"Okay, a little less yuck, and a little more explaining!" Aphrodite said, mimicking throwing up.

I shook my head. "You have really got to work on your patience." She flipped me off and I laughed. "Well, the good news is that the baby is, indeed, a normal baby. It looks perfectly fine. Here." I handed the picture of the baby over to Darius, who held it so that Aphrodite could see it. Stevie Rae must have been walking in behind Stark and I, because she ran beside us and behind Aphrodite so that she could see the picture.

"Wow." Stevie Rae said. "She's really pretty."

"_She_?" Stark squeaked. "How do you know it's a girl?"

Stevie Rae shook her head, causing her blonde curls to bounce. "Sorry. I don't. That's just the way I've been picturing her - I mean, it."

"Enough babble." Aphrodite sighed.

Darius looked from the picture, to me. "Even though I wouldn't have put it quite like that, I have to agree with my lady. What is the bad news, Zoey?"

I looked down. "The doctor says that the baby is two and a half weeks old."

Shocked gasps came from everyone but Stark and me, causing the woman behind the desk to peek up at us.

"Uh, let me go take care of that real quick. I think we should get goin'." Stevie Rae whispered.

We all nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." Darius agreed. So, we decided to wait until Stevie Rae got done to go back out to the car.

As we walked out to the car, we discussed where we should go: the House of Night or the tunnels. I was getting ready to say that we should go to the tunnels so I wouldn't have to face anyone right then when the wind picked up, causing the picture of my baby to go flying. It stopped at the corner of the clinic building.

"Hey, guys, you go ahead and get in the car. I'm gonna go get my picture really fast." I told everyone. Stark started to come with me, but I stopped him for the second time in five minutes. "It's okay. It's just the corner of the building. You can still see me from the car." I gave him a sweet smile.

He looked like he was going to protest, but his face relaxed into a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry. Be quick, okay?" I nodded and got on my tip toes to give him a kiss.

We turned our separate directions and made our way to either the car or the picture. I had my eyes on the picture as I walked, so I never would've seen what happened if it weren't for Aphrodite.

"Zoey, watch out!"

I looked up just in time to see Neferet's long, pointed fingernail coming straight at my face. I felt the sting of the cut and saw the stars her blow had left just before I passed out.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys. First of all, I want to say thank you so much for the awesome reviews! I am so glad that you are enjoying the story. Second, I'd like to say that I'm really sorry for not being able to put this chapter up sooner. I am sick and I have to go to the doctor tomorrow morning. I've been sick since I started the story, but I got a lot worse today. I've had a terrible migraine all day, but I was able to work on this chapter on and off all day when it would let up a little bit. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting! So, wish me luck on getting well so that I can write more. I really hope you like this chapter; I had a lot of fun writing it. Here we go!**

"Zoey? Zoey, wake up. Can you hear me? Wake up!"

I sighed and went to stretch but the shock that went through my body caused me to stop and groan. Every muscle in my body was yelling at me to stay still. "Ohmygoddess, Stark, what did you do to me last night?" I said in a joking manner, my eyes still closed.

Stark cleared his throat, so I guessed that he wanted to get my attention. It would be just my luck to open my eyes and see everyone in the room, staring at me.

I hadn't wanted to open my eyes yet. I was loving the feel of the bed Stark and I shared underneath me. I could tell by the feel of it that I was naked. That seemed a little odd considering the fact that Stark and I usually dressed after, well, _stuff_, just in case someone came in while we were sleeping.

I could smell the dampness of the tunnels and hear Nala's purr engine going beside me. I never thought that I could be so comfortable and calm. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes.

Kalona was sitting on the opposite side of the bed, leaned toward me. I automatically sat up straight, trying to get the covers out from under me. All the while I kept my eyes on him. He was very stiff and didn't look like he wanted to be there at all. However, even though his body language was saying he didn't want to be there, the passion in his eyes as he took in my naked body said the very opposite.

I finally managed to get the covers over me. Okay, sure, I had been naked in front of Kalona before, more than once. Hell, I'd had _sex _with him! It shouldn't have made me so nervous but I couldn't help it. The fact that we were in the bedroom I usually shared with Stark didn't help matters much. It made me think of Stark, and _that _made me think of how awful our situation was. I knew that it was killing him to know that I had Kalona's child inside me.

Kalona reluctantly sat forward so that he could touch my face. I hadn't realized until he did it that my entire body felt like it was on fire. When he touched me, it sent stars flashing before my eyes. I winced. "What did this to you, Zoey?" he asked.

For a moment I didn't know what he was talking about. I was going to ask him what he was talking about when it dawned on me. "Neferet." was all I said.

He gasped. "The Tsi Sgili dares to hurt my mate!" The power in his voice caused me to flinch. He saw it and automatically softened. "I am sorry, sweet. Does it hurt very much?"

"Yeah, it hurts pretty bad. But I'll be fine." I lied. I didn't think I would be alright. I mean, Neferet had hit me _hard_. Harder than I thought she was capable of. Maybe she had actually hit me with something. I did only get a glimpse of her before she hit me. Tossing aside all that drama, I asked Kalona, "What are you doing here?"

I could tell by the look on his face that I'd hurt him. I was going to tell him that I didn't mean that I didn't want him here, but he didn't give me the chance. "You called me here."

"Uh, I may have gotten hit pretty hard in the head, but I think I would remember doing something like that." I explained.

Kalona softened yet again and whispered, "Zoey, you are dreaming. You wouldn't remember it if you tried your hardest. You always call me while you dream."

Huh. I didn't know that I did that. I took a shaky breath. "In any case, we shouldn't be here. I don't feel right being in the place I sleep with Stark, with you. It makes me feel like he'll walk in the door at any minute."

Kalona nodded, but it didn't look like he thought too much about it. "You thought I was him when I tried to wake you."

That made me think about how it was that I could sleep in a dream, but I tossed that thought aside for later. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was a little groggy."

"Think nothing of it. Shall we go somewhere else?"

I definitely wanted to go somewhere else, but I couldn't just yet. "I need some clothes first."

A mischievous smile appeared on his face. "Are you sure? I could always get naked, too. Would you feel more comfortable then?"

I felt the blush rise to my cheeks. Man, did I want him to get naked! But I knew that he couldn't. We wouldn't be able to talk if we were preoccupied doing…other things. "Uh…no. Let me get some clothes real fast and then we can go." I was about to get up when I realized that he would see me naked again. "Um, turn around."

He laughed. "Oh, Zoeybird, there is not a part on you that I haven't seen yet. Why must I turn?"

"Because I don't want to tempt you. We have things we need to talk about."

"I won't get tempted…much. I promise I will be on my best behavior. Do what you must." he argued.

I really didn't want to let him see me naked, but I didn't want to spend more time arguing with him. I let out an exasperated sigh and got out from under the blanket. I didn't look at him as I walked over to the dresser Stark and I had picked out for our room. Curiously, I opened the bottom two drawers.

Just as I had thought, Stark's clothes were neatly folded - because _I _had folded them for him. Could a guy do anything for himself? - in them. I thought about just grabbing some of his clothes, but I knew that that would only hurt Kalona, and I really didn't want to do that. As much as I didn't want to be attracted to him, I was.

I could feel Kalona's eyes on me as I pulled out a pair of underwear and a bra. I was about to put the panties on when he said, "Are you sure you want to put those on?"

I didn't turn around because I knew that if I saw him I would lose focus. "Yes." I'd meant for the word to sound sharp and final, but it came out a little shaky.

I finished dressing in record time, settling on my red panties and bra, some sweatpants, and a baggy white shirt. I was a little dizzy because my head hurt really bad and moving made it worse, but it wasn't that bad. I turned to look at Kalona. "Let's get out of here."

He gave me a brisk nod and came over to me. "Close your eyes." he whispered in my ear, wrapping his arms around me. I did as he said. We were suddenly surrounded by air. I didn't feel like we were moving, but my mind was telling me that we had to be. After a minute or two the wind stopped, and Kalona let go of me.

I opened my eyes to find that we were back in Nyx's kingdom, under the old oak that had a great view of a vast ocean. I realized that this was going to be "our place". I walked ahead of Kalona to the big oak, and sat up against it. This time I wouldn't let him pull me to him. I needed to face him while we talked.

He was only a fraction of a second behind me, sitting down next to me just after I had sat. "Tell me. What is going on?"

I took a deep breath. "Well, I went to go see if the baby is okay at the clinic in Tulsa, with the help of Stevie Rae, Darius, Aphrodite, and Stark. I had to explain to them everything that is going on."

Kalona didn't look too pleased about this, but he didn't say anything about it. "Go on."

"The baby is fine. Better, in fact. It isn't a Raven Mocker. It's just a baby. A normal, completely human baby." I said with a smile. "I got to see it. It's amazing."

Kalona didn't look very convinced. "How could you see it when it is so early?"

My smile faded. "Oh. Right. That's the weird part. According to the doctor, I'm two and half weeks along."

Kalona didn't look very surprised. Instead, he nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. The other mothers of my children progressed rapidly, also."

I gasped. I smacked him on the side of his arm. "And you didn't think to tell me about this?"

He laughed. "You've become very comfortable with me." He sighed then. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just didn't know if it would be the same with you."

"Oh." I looked down at my hands. I felt a little bad at being so mad at him when he just didn't want to get my hopes up in case it wasn't the same with me. "Sorry."

"Don't be." he said. "Now, tell me. How is it you know that the baby is not a Raven Mocker?"

I looked back at him. "Well, the doctor had this machine that she used on my stomach so that we could see inside it." Dr. Romano had told me everything she was doing as she did it while I was in her office. "The machine uses sounds, like radar, to show what's inside me. There, she took a picture of the baby. She even gave it to me. That's how I could see the baby."

Suddenly, Kalona reached over and put his hand on my stomach. He looked like a little boy who's mom just told him that he could get a new toy. He looked into my eyes as he said, "Show me."

"How can I show you? I don't have the picture with me."

He rolled his eyes, which was weird coming from an immortal like him. "Zoey, we are in _your _dream. Everything you have ever seen can be here. You just have to try and pluck it from your brain, then conjure it. Focus. Let me see our child."

When he said "our child", I smiled. I could hear the love in his voice when he spoke about the baby. I was filled with happiness as I closed my eyes and tried to grasp the memory of the picture. It wasn't easy because I had only seen the picture a couple of times, and it was only possible because I had managed to remember the picture because it was _my _child.

My hand started to tingle. I barely heard Kalona tell me to focus and keep doing what I was doing. I could tell by the feeling in my hand that the picture would soon be physical and that I needed to pinch my fingers together to keep from dropping it. I did, and felt the smooth paper of the picture.

I opened my eyes to see it in my hand for only a moment before Kalona snatched it out of my grasp. I was going to tell him that it was rude to take things without asking, but as soon as I looked at him the words disappeared from my mind.

Kalona looked at the picture as if it was going to break. His eyes were shiny with new tears, but his mouth was pulled up in a smile that would make every woman on the planet want to pull him into her arms. A little laugh came from his lips right before he spoke. "It is…beautiful."

I hadn't realized that I was crying until I opened my mouth to speak and one of the tears fell into it. I tasted the salty tear and quickly wiped my eyes. Kalona was so focused on the picture that he didn't even notice. "It is beautiful." I finally managed to say. "And it's _ours_. That baby is inside of me right now. It was made from me and you."

He slowly looked up from the picture and into my eyes. When he did, he saw that I was crying, but he took it the wrong way. "Have I upset you? Do you…not want the child?" He reached up and wiped another tear that had spilled off my cheek.

I shook my head. "No, that's not it. I'm just happy that I can make you so happy. Well, that I can make you happy by having your child."

Kalona's face softened. He scooted closer to me and wrapped his giant arms around me so that my head rested on his shoulder. "Oh, Zoey." he whispered, stroking my hair. "I am not happy just because of the child. Yes, it's true that I am… Well, no words can describe how happy I am that I will have a normal child. I was overwhelmed when Nyx forgave Rephaim and gave him the body of a normal man. Now, I have a child that will be born normal.

"But that is not the only reason I am happy." He pulled back so that he could look into my face. "I am also happy because my child will have a wonderful mother. A beautiful, _powerful _High Priestess who will protect it until she breathes her last breath. I know that that is who you are, Zoey. I know that you love the child just as much as I do."

I thought I would start crying again but I managed to get a hold on myself. Yes, it made me happy that Kalona was so happy, but there was another part of me that was upset because he was only happy because of the child. True, he had said that that _wasn't _the only reason he was happy, but truly it was. The only reason why he wanted me around was because he knew I would take care of his child. I thought about saying something about it, but he kept talking.

"That is only part of the reason why I love you, though." he continued, as though he could read my mind. "I love you so much, Zoey. I love you because you are strong. Because you are unique. You are compassionate, beautiful, and wise, even though you don't see it. You are perfect; truly amazing."

A moment passed as he put one of his hands to the side of my face. "And every second I wonder how you could love me. How you could be with me and be happy to be having my child. I know that it is only because of the spell that you love me, but I hope that one day that can change, and you will love me for who I am. Because that is why I love you."

I had never in a million years thought that Kalona would say something so beautiful. Especially that he would be saying it to _me_. He looked like he was about to cry, and that broke my heart. I couldn't stand seeing him so broken. I didn't think I would ever see or hear anything more surprising, but I proved myself wrong with my next action.

I threw myself at him and pulled him into my arms.

"Oh, Kalona, you couldn't be more wrong. I _do _love you for you. I love you so much. And not because of the spell. Because you are amazing. You've never shown this side of yourself to me before. I assure you that if you had, you would have had me a long time ago. You are all the things you said I was and more. I will _always _love you." I whispered, feeling in my gut that everything I'd said was true.

He pulled away from me. "I cannot believe that. I know that it is the spell that has made you love me."

I put his face in both of my hands and made him look at me. "You're wrong. I. Love. You."

Then, I pulled his face to mine and kissed him passionately. He practically melted in my arms, kissing me as hungrily as I was kissing him. It seemed like there was no one in the world but me and him. Maybe that was true. Maybe I had just been dreaming about everything else.

He laid down on his back and pulled me on top to straddle him. I kissed him one more time before pulling away to give him a flirty smile.

"What are you doing?" he asked, breathlessly.

I didn't answer him. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused hard, just like I had when I was trying to bring the picture of our baby into my dream. It took me a little longer this time, and I could feel Kalona putting his hands on my waist, his patience getting thin. Finally, I felt the same tingle I had earlier, this time all over my body.

I heard Kalona gasp and then let out a little growl, letting me know that it had worked. When I opened my eyes I saw the proof for myself.

My hands were on Kalona's bare chest. His muscles gleamed in the sunlight cascading down on us. His hands were warm on my naked body, sending chills through me. He sat up, putting his hands on the back of my shoulders to pull me toward him. He kissed my breasts, every now and then letting his tongue snake out to touch the most sensitive part of them.

I shivered and moaned at the same time.

This time Kalona and I explored each other's bodies before we actually had sex. It made us being connected to each other all the better. This time, I didn't fade into blackness, so I was able to enjoy every single moment of it. I realized just how amazing Kalona's body could be.

When we finished - this time I was on top - I fell over next to him to catch my breath. Kalona's eyes were closed, his left hand reaching out to grab my right hand. We panted there next to each other until I rolled over and draped myself across him, my head on his shoulder and left leg over both his legs.

"See how much I love you?" I asked him.

He laughed, giving me chills as he did. "Oh, yes. I see now."

I jutted out my lower lip like Aphrodite sometimes did with Darius. Kalona's eyes were closed, but when he didn't hear me say anything, he opened them to look at me. When he saw my face he said, "What is wrong, lover?"

"I told you I love you." I whispered in the saddest voice I could manage.

He cocked his head to the side. "I heard you, sweet. Why has that made you so upset?"

I rolled back off of him and turned the other direction. My heart felt like someone was squeezing the crap out of it. I thought it would stop beating right then and there.

Kalona rolled over towards me to put his hand on my shoulder and peek at me. I thought he would say something, but he didn't. Wow, I thought, he really didn't get it. For a split second, I felt the same exact way I did when I overheard Loren talking to Neferet about how easy it was to seduce me. I had found out that he'd only had sex with me because Neferet had put him up to it so that they could get me secluded from my friends. He hadn't really loved me like he said he did. Maybe Kalona was the same. Maybe he only loved his child, the one that was growing inside of me, and only told me he loved me so that I would still try to keep it safe.

He put his finger under my chin and pulled it up to face him. "My love, what has upset you so?"

As soon as he said the words "my love" I started to cry.

"Are you sure you love me?" I asked, feeling hollow inside.

I felt the jolt that went through his body. "Of course I love you, Zoey. I've already-" He stopped, obviously getting why I was so upset. "Oh, Zoeybird. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. More than anything else. I am so sorry I didn't say it earlier."

The ice in my heart thawed just a little bit, but I was still afraid he was just saying that he loved me, not really meaning it.

"Little love, would you like _me _to show _you _how much I love you?" he whispered seductively into my ear.

Although I shouldn't have been so swayed by what he said, I was instantly filled with a burning hunger for him. I turned around and started kissing him passionately again.

We made love once again, taking our time exploring each other's bodies this time.

We'd just finished and laid down together, spooning, when Kalona whispered, "You have to go now, love. Someone is trying to wake you up." I went to tell him that I didn't want to go yet, but he put his fingers on my lips. "Shush. Don't say anything. You do have to go. But I want you to leave thinking of us, and what we just did. I want you to go knowing that I love you with all my heart, and that I will not let anything get in the way of us."

A flash of Stark's face came before my eyes, but before I could say anything, Kalona was gone. I was no longer in Nyx's kingdom. Instead, I was at the carnival again, walking in slow motion to the cotton candy stand. This time, Nala appeared to leap in my arms, telling me that she wanted some cotton candy, too.

I thought about how weird it was that she could talk just before I woke up.


	10. Stevie Rae

**Okay, so it turns out that I have some weird sickness called lymphadenitis. It means I have an infection in my throat that has caused the lymph nodes under my jaw to swell up and hurt really bad. Also, I've been very sleeping and tense the past couple of days, which are also symptoms. So, if I don't update one day, don't be mad at me. I'm probably feeling like crap, in which case I will definitely update the next day. I really hope you like this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing in Stevie Rae's point of view. She's one of my favorite characters from the HON series. Also, just a warning here, be ready to pee your pants at the end of this chapter. I don't know if you actually will, but I know that if I were reading this, I'd pee my pants… Okay, well maybe not, but I would do something similar, like…go back and read it again, this time taking a drink on purpose right before I read it and then spitting it out when I do. I'm rambling again, so I'll just let you get to it! Enjoy!**

_**Stevie Rae**_

Stevie Rae darted forward from the car to run to Zoey. Stark and Darius had run ahead of her, Darius going after Neferet and Stark going to Zoey's side. Aphrodite was right on Stevie Rae's heels. She had known that something bad was going to happen tonight, she just didn't think it was going to be anything like this.

Yes, sometimes Stevie Rae got feelings like Zoey and Aphrodite did, but usually it was about her red fledglings. That was why she never said anything. Tonight was no different. Stevie Rae thought that she was just getting feelings from the bad red fledglings, mostly Dallas. It pained her to think that Dallas had gone from being this sweet boy who was always nice to her, to an evil minion controlled by Neferet.

But she couldn't think about that now. Right now the important thing was making sure that Zoey was okay.

She collapsed to her knees by Z's head, barely hearing the hiss of a laugh that came from Neferet. She didn't look up to see what was happening; she knew that Zoey needed her help and spending time watching the enemy wouldn't help. Later she would learn from Darius that Neferet had simply disappeared from the night and that he suspected she had cloaked herself in Darkness. She would also learn that Neferet had been with the white bull that night, even though no one had seen him until Darius ran around the corner.

"Ohmygoddess! Is she goin' to be okay?" Stevie Rae gasped, her hands going all around Zoey's body but never actually touching. There was blood pooling from somewhere on the back of her head, and she had a nasty cut on her cheek that looked like it might need stitches. Stevie Rae couldn't actually tell if she needed stitches or not because of all the blood that was coming up on it.

Stark worked his hands under her head and gently lifted it up. "She has to be." was all he said, checking out the back of Z's head.

Aphrodite was standing at Zoey's feet. She had been gasping for air - she didn't recover from running so fast like the rest of them had because she was a human again. Stevie Rae barely saw Aphrodite shake herself from her peripheral vision. "We have to get her out of here. Now. I feel…bad. _Really _bad."

"Of course ya feel bad. We all do. But you gotta pull yourself together." Stevie Rae told her.

Aphrodite barely managed to narrow her eyes at Stevie Rae before she said, "Duh, bumpkin. I mean that-" Suddenly Aphrodite stopped, clutching her eyes. A groan came out of her lips and before she could hit the ground, Darius caught her. Stevie Rae hadn't even noticed that he had come back around the corner.

"She's having a vision." Darius said, heaving - the thought that Darius grunted when he lifted Aphrodite up made Stevie Rae laugh internally. She could really be a fat cow sometimes! - Aphrodite up on his shoulder.

Just as he got her up, she groaned again and jumped off. "Whoa, that's never happened before." she said.

"What is that, my lady?" Darius replied.

Stark turned his attention to the two of them. "Guys, we have bigger problems at the moment." He pointed at an unconscious Zoey.

Aphrodite suddenly ran forward and grabbed Zoey's legs. "Hurry up! There's not much time!" she screamed at the rest of them.

Not needed to know what she was talking about, and going on the fact that Aphrodite had just had a vision that they didn't know about, everyone else grabbed a hold of Z and started walking her to the car. Once Zoey was inside, Aphrodite got in the driver's seat.

Darius got in the passenger's seat, but gave her a funny look. She sighed. "I can't explain everything right now. It's too close. We need to get back to the tunnels. _Now_."

Stark got in behind Darius - where he was sitting earlier - to hold Zoey's head in his lap. Stevie Rae sat in the same seat she was in earlier, too, this time holding Z's feet in her lap. She absentmindedly rubbed Zoey's calf muscle.

No one said anything as Aphrodite roared through the streets of Tulsa. She was going so fast that she drifted on a lot of the turns. It scared Stevie Rae about as much as it excited her, going so fast. Her momma had never, ever driven like this, and in the back of her mind she knew her momma wouldn't be happy that she was playing with her life like this.

But Stevie Rae knew that her life wasn't the one that was on the line here. It was Zoey's, and she would do anything to keep Zoey alive. She didn't know if she could keep all of her thoughts straight if Z died, but it wasn't only that that scared her. Zoey was her best friend, closer to her than anyone but Rephaim.

The thought jolted her. Stark gave her a weird look from the other side of the car, but she smiled to let him know that she was okay.

Goodness, she hadn't seen Rephaim in what seemed like forever. After being hurt, he'd spent most of his nights sleeping and most of his days in a cage doing the same exact thing. She'd watched birds sleep before, but never as much as Rephaim did.

It was actually pretty weird. Rephaim had been changing later and later. Stevie Rae didn't know if that was because he was in the process of being fully forgiven by Nyx, or if it was because he was hurt so bad and Nyx knew that putting him through the change hurt him even more. She hoped it was the former.

She would have to speak to Rephaim about what was going on. She only hoped that he was awake when she got in the tunnels. He'd gained consciousness a couple of times the night before, and even in day she would sometimes hear him croaking while she slept. She imagined that he had been complaining at her for putting him in a cage, but she knew that even if he didn't like it that it was the best thing for him.

It seemed like it took forever to get to the tunnels, but Stevie Rae knew that it had only taken them five minutes from the time on the clock of the radio. She didn't know if she should be relieved to finally get to the tunnels or dread that they would have to carry Z - yet again - down into them.

Everything happened very fast after that. Aphrodite parked the car as close as she could to the tunnels so that Zoey wouldn't be out in the open air for very long. As soon as it was still, Stark and Darius exploded out the doors and cowboyed up, as she would put it.

Stevie Rae hopped out so that Darius could take Zoey's feet, putting her hands under Z's back so that she wouldn't be dragging her middle along the ground. Aphrodite went ahead of them to open all the doors for them, all the while telling them to hurry, hurry, and hurry some more.

"Aphrodite, we're going as fast as we can!" Stark erupted, finally getting tired of her bickering.

"It's not fast enough!" she yelled right back at him. She had tears trailing down her face but they were a slight pink color. Stevie Rae guessed that that was because of the vision she'd had only minutes before.

They eventually made it into the tunnels, Darius going ahead of them into the tunnels so that Stark could pass Zoey down to him. From there, Aphrodite was quiet, even though Stevie Rae could hear her whimper every now and then.

They all got Zoey into her room and put her on her bed. The blood that smeared Zoey's pillow smelled really good to her, but she didn't want to drink it and her stomach told her that she wouldn't be able to keep it down even if she tried.

"Stevie Rae, would you help Aphrodite to her room and get her situated? Stark and I have some work we have to do." Darius asked her.

"No way am I going with bumpkin, here. I'll make it on my own." Aphrodite retorted. As if fate was trying to prove her wrong, she tripped but caught herself right before she went down.

Darius gave her a reproachful look, all the while grabbing things from drawers. "My lady, _please_. I worry about you and would worry less if you were accompanied by someone. Stevie Rae is as good as anyone."

"Thank you, Darius." Stevie Rae said, feeling smug. She turned to Aphrodite and said, "You really aught'ta get over the fact that you were once imprinted with me. C'mon, let's go. I'll get ya to your room, but I gotta check on Rephaim."

She looped one of her arms in Aphrodite's to keep her straight and marched down the tunnels with her. At first it was silent. Aphrodite didn't want to talk to her at all. But, after a couple of seconds, Aphrodite let out a deep breath.

"The vision I had was horrible." she whispered. Stevie Rae could hear her clearly, not only because she had really good hearing, but also because Aphrodite's words bounced off the walls of the tunnels.

"What happened?"

"It was like some of the other visions I've had. It was like there were two in one. On one side, I saw that if we didn't get the Zoey in the car, Darkness would come and suck all the blood out of her body." Stevie Rae gasped. "Yeah, it was bad. There was nothing any of us could do because every time we would try to get it away, it would cut our skin. Stark tried to shoot an arrow at it, but it just divided itself in two before it could get to them."

They made it to Aphrodite's room then. Stevie Rae automatically got a rag and two bottles of water from Aphrodite's mini fridge. She poured the first one over the rag and handed it to Aphrodite, who was grabbing a Xanax from her purse. She knew that warm water would've been better for her, but she didn't have time to walk all the way back to the depot to get it for her. She handed the second water bottle to Aphrodite to drink.

"Thanks." Aphrodite said, surprising the heck outta Stevie Rae.

Aphrodite chugged down half the bottle - having already dry swallowed her Xanax - and laid back on her pillows, putting the rag over her eyes.

"Go on." Stevie Rae told her.

Aphrodite barely nodded before continuing. "Zoey died in that part because we couldn't get it to stop drinking her blood. The second one was a lot like the first one, only this time we were getting out of the car at the depot. Darkness had followed us all the way there and latched on to Zoey the second we got her out of the car. That's why I was driving so fast. I didn't want to give it the chance to follow us."

Stevie Rae nodded, but realized that Aphrodite couldn't see it so she gave a little sound that let her know she was listening. "Uh, are you gonna be okay? 'Cause I gotta-"

Aphrodite cut her off. "I'll be alright. Go check on your birdboy." Stevie Rae rolled her eyes, knowing that if she said anything Aphrodite would just keep arguing with her. She stood up and went to the silk curtain that was the door to Aphrodite's room. Just before she stepped out, Aphrodite said, "Stevie Rae?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, again. Really, I mean it."

Stevie Rae's heart squeezed for a second. She knew that there was a part deep down in Aphrodite that was really nice. There had to be for Zoey to be friends with her. "Don't mention it." Stevie Rae replied.

"Oh, believe me, I won't." And then she had to go ruin the moment. There was the Aphrodite she knew.

Shaking her head, Stevie Rae walked out of Aphrodite's room, making her way to her own. Silently she sent a prayer up to Nyx, asking her to let Rephaim be awake when she got there. She vaguely remembered that she had spilt water on the floor of Aphrodite's room, so she asked earth to open up and drink it for her. She could feel the earth underneath her ripple, taking the command with it. It must have shook when it opened because she hear Aphrodite give a little shriek.

"Thank you, earth, for getting rid of that mess and scaring the beejesus outta Aphrodite." she whispered with a smile on her face.

She thought, in the back of her mind, if she should go tell the guys that Aphrodite was okay, but she didn't think that her shriek would reach Zoey's room.

Once at her door, she took a deep breath, wondering if Nyx had been listening to her before. The other night, when Nyx had appeared before her very eyes, she'd whispered to Stevie Rae that Rephaim would be alright. It had made Stevie Rae burst into happy tears that she knew everyone had been wondering about. A couple of fledglings had asked her - including her "nerd herd", as Aphrodite put it - but she didn't want to share that private moment with them.

She was a little afraid of moving the Kenny Chesney beach towel she had picked up at Walmart that acted as her door, but when she heard a soft, "Come in, Stevie Rae," she barged into the room.

Rephaim was laying on their bed with no shirt on. He had bandages wrapped around his chest where a few of his ribs had broken from his impact with the earth a few days ago. Stevie Rae was so glad the he had suffered a few broken bones instead of being ripped apart by Aurox. She bounded over to him and sat on the edge of the bed softly, so as not to jostle him around.

He gave her a sweet smile, opened his arms, and said, "Come here."

"I-I'll hurt you." she whispered, not trusting her voice not to break.

He shook his head slowly. "I do not care. Come here. I have missed you."

Stevie Rae climbed into the bed and under the sheets until she was right next to Rephaim. Reluctantly, she put her head on his chest. He gave a little groan, and his breathing hitched, but only a second passed before he was breathing correctly again.

"I missed you, too. You have no idea how much." she told him, feeling the tears slide down her cheeks.

He pulled her face up to look at him. He wiped away a few of the tears while saying, "What has upset you so? I assure you I will be alright."

She gave him a small smile. "I know you will be. Nyx told me." To say that Rephaim looked shocked was an understatement. "There's a lot that you missed."

He slowly nodded. "It seems so. Tell me, what has happened in the days I rested, sweet?"

Stevie Rae loved it when he called her such sweet names. She stretched to give him a little kiss on the mouth, loving that his arms automatically wrapped around her when she did. When they pulled apart, he kept his arms around her, making her feel more safe and happy than she had been in days.

"Well…" she started, launching into the whole story. She started with Nyx's appearance - leaving out the fact that they had been celebrating while Rephaim was here with his daddy, getting better - and went through everything. She talked about Nyx's plan for Rephaim's daddy, how Kalona was now a good guy, and finally how Zoey was pregnant and all the events that had happened that night.

Rephaim stayed silent for a long time. Stevie Rae thought she'd somehow broken him with all the news, he was so silent. But, finally, he took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "My father has been forgiven."

He didn't phrase it like a question, but she still said, "Uh-huh."

Suddenly, Rephaim kissed her hard on the mouth. Stevie Rae melted in his arms, loving the way he tasted and smelled. Being away from him for so long had pained her, especially because he had been hurt, and still was. But at that moment, in his arms, everything felt like it would get better. It still felt like they had a lot they had to get through, but she knew that it would be alright as long as Rephaim was by her side.

When he pulled away, he said, "Stevie Rae, do you know what this means?" When she shook her head, he continued, "That is why I have been changing later and later! The effects of the spell on me that make change every day are wearing off! Soon you will have me all night _and _all day."

Stevie Rae shot up, jostling the bed and making Rephaim wince. She muttered an apology that he automatically accepted right before she said, "That's…that's…" She didn't know how to put it. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever heard. She would get to stay with her Rephaim _all the time_! He wouldn't be a bird anymore, and have to go through that awful change that hurt him so bad.

Suddenly, Rephaim's lips were at her ear. "I know, love. I know. Let me show you how happy it makes me, too."

Stevie Rae's body heated up at his words, wanting very much to let him show her. "But…won't it hurt you?" she whispered, knowing that her words were very clipped. She didn't want to let him know that she really, _really _wanted him to show her, but she knew that her words had come out that way anyway.

"A little." he replied. "But not enough to stop me."

Stevie Rae was on her back out of nowhere. This wasn't how they usually did things. Usually, when they made love it was sweet and very careful. This time, he was letting her know just how much he wanted her. How much he _needed _her.

They stripped their clothes off faster than anyone had ever done so, it seemed. There was no taking it slow this time. Instead, it was over in a matter of minutes, but that didn't make it any less great. In fact, Stevie Rae was pretty sure it was the best they'd ever had.

Rephaim was more out of breath than she was when they flopped next to each other when it was done. She knew it was because he was hurt, but this time she didn't have to ask him if he was okay. She could feel through their bond that he was definitely _more _than okay.

A few minutes passed while they said nothing. They just held each other, loving the feel of the other's naked body pressed against them.

Finally, Rephaim opened his eyes. He looked into Stevie Rae's for a long time. She was about to ask him what he was thinking about when he said, "Zoey is going to have my brother or sister?"

Stevie Rae didn't think that that was what he was going to say, so she just nodded. He gave her a brisk nod just before they heard Aphrodite yell, "Stevie Rae! Get your bumpkin _ass _out here!"

Rephaim and Stevie Rae didn't need to say anything back - or to each other, for that matter - before they were up and getting their clothes back on. This time, Rephaim pulled a t-shirt out of their drawer that he had borrowed from Stark. They still hadn't had time to get him new clothes.

Aphrodite was standing outside when they walked out, hand in hand. She took one look at them, rolled her eyes, and said, "Zoey's all patched up and doing okay." A jolt of guilt passed through Stevie Rae. She felt bad that she had been in her room doing…_things _with Rephaim when she should've been worried about Z. Rephaim squeezed her hand, making her feel a little better. "She hasn't been awake, though. Stark says she keeps twitching, so he thinks she's going to wake up soon."

"They were able to patch her up good down here?" Stevie Rae asked.

Aphrodite nodded. "Seems like she wasn't hurt too bad. You know what they say about head wounds - they bleed a lot. That's what freaks people out about them."

"Then we must go to her." Rephaim said.

"You told him about…well, stuff?" Aphrodite asked Stevie Rae, bobbing her head in Rephaim's direction. Stevie Rae just nodded as she started to walk the direction of Zoey's room.

They were all silent after that until Rephaim said, "I will tell you both right now that this is not going to be…pleasant for Zoey. She will be in a lot of pain when the child is born. More so than normal women are."

Stevie Rae suddenly realized that she hadn't told Rephaim that the baby wasn't a Raven Mocker. She stopped and turned to look at him. "Rephaim, this time is different. I think 'cause your daddy became good and all, it made an impact on the baby. It's not a Raven Mocker."

Rephaim gasped and narrowed his eyes at her. "How do you know this?"

"Because, birdboy, they have these things called ultrasounds. They let you see the baby. It's normal. Now, can we get a move on? Zoey will be waking up any minute now and I want to be there for her." Aphrodite sneered.

Stevie Rae and Rephaim said at the same time, "Don't call him/me that!"

Aphrodite simply shrugged her shoulders and walked ahead of them. They - thankfully - made it to Z's room before she woke up. Stevie Rae gave Rephaim one more quick kiss when they heard Zoey mutter something about Nala.

Thinking that she wanted her cat, Stark picked Nala up - she had been sleeping, so she wasn't too happy with him - and put her next to Z. A few beats went by before her eyes flickered open.

She looked around for a couple of minutes, looking like a lost puppy. "Where am I?"

"You're in the tunnels." Stark said, grabbing her hand. "You're gonna be alright, Zoey."

Z looked at him like his hair had just caught fire and jerked her hand away from him. "Who are you? How did I get here?" she shrieked.

Stevie Rae took a step forward. "Z, you don't remember who he is?" she asked, pointing at Stark.

Zoey looked at Stevie Rae and then back at Stark. She shook her head violently. "No! I don't know who any of you are! Where's my mom? What happened?"

They all stood there looking at Zoey before Aphrodite said, "Ah, hell."


	11. Zoey&Aphrodite

**Well, this is a longer chapter than I usually post. I hope that makes up for last night and the night before that when I couldn't get anything uploaded. I've been feeling like crap the past couple of days, so I wasn't able to write. I got my medicine filled so I'm feeling a little better than I have been. I really hope you like this chapter. There's not a whole lot to it, but I felt I had to have the Aphrodite/Darius scene. Even though she can be - in the words of Damien, the Twins, and Stevie Rae - a hateful hag at times, she's still a good guy deep down. So is Darius, and there just hasn't been enough love between the two of them in my story. Well, let's get to it.**

I turned in my bed, keeping my eyes closed. If I didn't open them, I could pretend that I didn't have a big geometry test that I had to do today. Maybe my mom would think I was sick. After all, I always woke up in the morning at a certain time. It had always been that way since I was little, a trait that I'd inherited from my grandma. Sure, Kayla would be pissed if I ditched school and made her take the test by herself, but I was willing to face her wrath-babble in order to get out of this test.

I noticed that my room smelled funny. Damp, kind of. Maybe I had left a couple of my socks under the bed again without realizing it. But no, it wasn't that. It smelled way different than anything my room had ever smelt like.

I opened my eyes. I wasn't in my room. I was in a place I had never seen before. It was dark, only lit by oil lanterns, but I found it strange that I could easily see everything…and every_one_.

"Where am I?" I whispered. I noticed right away that I was in a room full of vampyres and fledglings. Had they brought me here to drink my blood? But that couldn't be possible. Everyone knew that vampyres weren't really like they were in books like Dracula. Maybe they had brought me here to drain me, they just told everyone that they weren't like that.

A vampyre stepped toward me. He looked about my age, but I knew that he could be anywhere from my age to about thirty. Vampyres didn't age the way we did. He had short, dark hair, and his tattoo had arrows in it. What was strange about it weren't the arrows, but the fact that it was red instead of blue. Every vampyre I had ever seen had a blue tattoo.

The vampyre sat down on the bed and grabbed my hand. I was in so much shock that I didn't pull away. "You're in the tunnels. You're gonna be alright, Zoey."

When he said my name it seemed like I gained control of my body again. How did he know my name? I jerked my hand away from him and shrieked, "Who are you? How did I get here?"

Another vampyre - this time a girl - who also had a red tattoo stepped toward me. She had short, curly blonde hair that bounced when she moved. She was dressed in cowgirl getup, and she looked really concerned about me, which I thought was weird since I hadn't seen her before. "Z, you don't remember who he is?" She pointed at the guy who had been holding my hand.

I looked back and forth between the two of them, trying to make sense out of all of this. Why was this happening to me? "No! I don't know who any of you are! Where's my mom? What happened?"

They all stood there just looking at me. I took advantage of the moment to look at the other people in the room. Over by the country-girl vampyre was a boy. A human boy. He had golden skin, brown eyes, and long black hair. He looked like he might have some Indian in him, but I couldn't tell for sure.

Behind him was another human. She was really pretty. She had blonde hair and green eyes. Her makeup looked like it had been done by an expert, and she had one hand on her hip, telling me that she probably had a bad attitude. As if to prove it, she said, "Ah, hell."

"This isn't good." yet another vampyre said from the other side of the bed. He was…a mountain. I'm serious, this dude was huge. His tattoo was blue, like all the others I'd seen, but that didn't make me trust him any more than I trusted the rest of them.

The guy sitting on the bed patted my leg to get my attention. "Zoey, I know that this is going to seem a little…strange, but you have to trust us. We're your friends."

"Some of us are more than just a friend." the human girl said, giving the guy who'd just talked a look.

"Not right now." he shot back at her. He looked back to me. "I'm Stark. You may not remember, but we know each other. I'm…your boyfriend."

I gasped. Was this guy delusional? Had he had an accident? Or was I the one who'd had an accident? After all, they were all saying I was the one who didn't remember anything. "No… Heath is. Well, kind of. He's almost my boyfriend."

They all looked at each other, as if they could speak telepathically. Then Stark looked at me again. "Honey, I don't really know how to tell you this, but…"

"Oh for God's sake!" the human girl said. She walked over to me and smacked me on the side of my face. "Zoey, _snap out of it_! Seriously!"

Suddenly, I remembered who they all were. I remembered lots of things that hadn't been there before, and it scared me that I had forgotten all of it. I remembered that Neferet had hit me and that caused me to pass out. Maybe she'd hit me so hard it messed with my brain a little bit. What I remembered that I really didn't want to remember - especially with Stark right here - was my dream with Kalona.

Darius stepped over and grabbed Aphrodite's arm, hard. I hadn't ever seen him treat her that way before and it kind of shocked me. "Aphrodite! She probably has a concussion. We don't need you making things worse." He let go of her and she stumbled back, almost running into Stevie Rae as she did. Her bottom lip stuck out like she was about to cry, and she turned and ran out of the room.

"Uh, Darius, you really didn't have to do that." I said.

They all turned and looked at me.

"Zoey, you're back?" Stark said, moving closer to me.

I smiled and opened my arms to him. He automatically wrapped himself in them, wrapping his own arms around my waist as he did. "Yeah. I guess Aphrodite knocked my brain back in place. I'm really sorry for worrying you guys. I honestly didn't remember who you were."

Darius sat on the edge of my bed, putting his hand on my foot. "Priestess, I think it best if we take you to a hospital. You've likely suffered head trauma. If we were under normal circumstances, I would just take you to the House of Night infirmary to get taken care of, but…"

I shook my head, which hurt so I stopped. "I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, Neferet and Darkness are out there trying to kill me, along with the fact that I'm a fledgling. Hospitals don't treat vampyres or fledglings, and they would know that something was up if I showed up there."

Stark pulled himself from my arms and looked me in the eyes. "Z, I agree with Darius. I mean, we have to get your head checked out, but…I think we might want to check out the baby, too." I was going to protest again, but he kept going. "C'mon, we'll cover up all your tattoos and take you in. If you don't want to go to the hospital, we'll get Stevie Rae to do her weird mind-controlling thingy on a regular doctor."

"It's not weird. Okay, maybe a little. But there's a problem with that: I can't go out in the daylight and it's gonna be morning soon." Stevie Rae interjected.

Aphrodite walked into the room then as if on cue. Without looking at Darius once, she told us, "I've got the keys to the car. I called a friend of my dad's. He's a doctor. He said he will keep everything confidential, even from his wife. He's got the papers that Zoey will have to sign to make it official."

We all looked at her, wondering how in the hell she could pull something like this off. She must've gotten tired of it because she suddenly yelled, "Come on! We have to go. Zoey, Stark, and _Darius_," she sneered his name, "get in the car. Bumpkin and birdboy, you're on your own."

Stevie Rae and Rephaim didn't look upset at the fact that they didn't have to go. In fact, they looked downright happy. Still, Rephaim walked over to the bed.

"Zoey… May I..?" He didn't finish the question, but I knew what he was asking. He wanted to touch my stomach, as most people want to do when they know you're pregnant. It was a little weird because I wasn't showing at all, but I really didn't mind. I nodded my head and he walked over to the bed to put his hand on my stomach.

He jumped back, taking his hand with him and clutching it to his chest. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. Then, out of nowhere, he started laughing. We all just sat there looking at him like he'd gone mad.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The child is fine. You don't need to go to the doctor if that's what you're worried about. I guess I can see him because I'm family, and we're…not exactly normal." Rephaim said with a smile on his face. Out of nowhere, his face fell and he looked at the ground.

Stevie Rae walked over to him, grabbed his hand in hers, and said, "What's wrong?"

He gave her a sweet smile before saying, "Well, nothing is really wrong. It's just strange. The baby is normal. I know you told me that before, but it was a little hard to believe. Now that I've seen it, I believe it. But that isn't the strange part. It's the fact that the baby is so big. I do remember some of the pregnancies of my siblings going by very fast - as you know, I was the first child of Kalona's born. I just don't remember them going by _this _fast.

"The others usually grew from around four months to six months, not the usual nine months it takes. But Zoey's child will not even take that long. It will only take a month to develop. I predict that it will be here in…about twenty-eight to twenty-nine days."

Aphrodite stepped into the room from where she was in the doorway. "You _predict_ or you _know_?"

He didn't even look back at her. He looked directly into my eyes as he said, "_I know._"

"What about your head, Priestess?" Darius asked. "I managed to get some supplies from the nuns when we stayed at the abbey. Luckily, they had some actual stitches that I could apply to you, but I don't know if there is any serious damage."

I thought about it for a minute. I knew that things like that could happen. You could feel fine, go to sleep, and then never wake up again. But I also knew that going to the hospital wasn't a good idea. My gut was telling me that I would be putting myself in danger again, and I always went with my gut. I was going to tell them that I didn't think I needed to go when Aphrodite spoke up again.

"Zoey can't go to a hospital. That vision I had earlier? Yeah, it was about her. If she's goes outside at any time tonight - maybe even at all with that _thing _inside her - Darkness is going to attack her. And it won't be pretty."

Stevie Rae sharply looked over at her. "Aphrodite, are we talkin' 'bout the same vision you had at the clinic? 'Cause I remember what you told me, and that wasn't it. You said that Z got killed by Darkness if we didn't get her down in the tunnels fast enough _tonight_."

Aphrodite didn't even look at Stevie Rae as she talked. She was looking at the ground, as if she was reliving the vision again. For all I knew, she probably was. Aphrodite really didn't like her visions. They scared her to death, and always left her feeling like crap. I was surprised she was up and around after a vision. She didn't look like she wanted to talk, so I got up.

Stark tried to make me get back on the bed, but I gave him what I hoped was a look that a High Priestess would give her warrior, telling him that she needed to do this. I must've gotten it right, because Stark nodded his head and let me go. I walked to Aphrodite and stopped right in front of her.

"Aphrodite, let's go to your room. I want to speak with you." I said.

I'd meant for that to come out soft and understanding so that she would be inclined to come with me. Thinking about it now, that probably wouldn't have been the right direction to go with anyways. If I _had _said it softly, she would probably come back at me with some bitchy comment and then we'd start arguing. Luckily, my voice came out as that of a powerful High Priestess. _Her _powerful High Priestess.

Aphrodite simply nodded her head before turning around and going back out the door. I turned and made eye contact with every single person in the room for a moment, letting them know that they weren't to follow us. I knew that they understood what I was doing by the small smiles they were giving me.

I didn't think that was all they were telling me with their smiles. I hadn't realized it until I saw Stark's face, but they were proud of me. I really was becoming a High Priestess, and that thought had me smiling all the way to Aphrodite's room. That is, until I got to the curtain that acted as her door.

I wiped the smile off my face and braced myself, trying to think of what I would say to her. I moved the curtain out of the way, only to have Aphrodite do something so out-of-character that I almost fell backward. _She launched herself into my arms, crying._ You can only imagine how hard it was to stay on my feet; I was super dizzy from my head and had to grab the wall of the tunnel to brace myself.

Even though I wanted to tell her to knock it off because I didn't feel all that great, I pulled one of my arms around her when I got a hold of myself and patted her back, all the while making cooing sounds that you make at a baby when it's crying. I pulled her over to her bed, partly to try and calm her down and partly because I didn't think I could stand any longer.

I let her cry for a few more minutes, letting her get it out of her system. When I figured I'd allowed her enough time to cry, I said, "Aphrodite, calm down. Tell me what this is about."

She pulled out of my arms and wiped her eyes. I got up for only a second to grab her some tissues. She promptly blew her nose and took a deep breath. "I'm really sorry for that. You'd think you'd be the one crying your eyes out, what with all the hormones and stuff."

I gave a little laugh. "Oh, I have a lot more than hormones to worry about. Now, tell me, what's wrong?"

She took another deep, shaky breath before looking at me. "Zoey, you know that I'm a prophetess of Nyx. I don't just get visions… I get feelings, too." I nodded my head to tell her I knew. "Well, Stevie Rae was right about the vision I had earlier. It was sort of like that one I had about Kalona taking over the world. The one with all the people burning."

"You mean the one where you saw him with Neferet in one vision and me in the other?"

She nodded. "It was like that. In one, Darkness came and drank all your blood at the clinic, after Neferet had hit you. I had it right when we all got to you. The other was when we got to the tunnels. The same thing happened, we were just in a different place. There was nothing any of us could do to get it away from you. Even Stevie Rae's earth element wasn't enough."

I hadn't expected the part about an element not being able to save me, but I didn't want to give any of my shock away. Right now I had a part to play, and that was to get Aphrodite feeling better so that she could help us. "Go on. I'm listening."

"Well, basically, I didn't just have a vision. This is the part I didn't tell Stevie Rae - or anybody else. She was the only one who knew about the vision. I got one of my feelings, and it wasn't a good one." she said.

"It never is." I agreed.

She gave me a sad smile. "No, it never is. Well, the feeling I got was that if you came out of the tunnels - or even if you don't have someone with you while you're down here - Darkness will kill you. It doesn't want you to have this child, Z. I think… I think that she's the one we've been waiting for. That Nyx picked you to do her work because she knew that you would be the one to have the real savior.

"I also think that's why Nyx wanted you to go through with this plan she concocted. She knew it had to be Kalona's kid." she finished.

I took a deep breath. That had been a lot of stuff for just one vision, but I wasn't going to tell her that. I wanted to make her feel better, but I also sensed that there was more to it than what she had just told me. "Aphrodite, is this all you want to tell me?"

A tear fell down her cheek and she wiped it away hastily. She gave a little laugh before she said, "I should've known you would feel there was more. But that has to do with me, not you."

I gave her a smile. "Aphrodite, a lot of things don't have to do with me, but they're important, too. Even if it's little things. You can tell me anything you want to, and I will try to help you to the best of my ability."

"It's Darius." she blurted. "He's my warrior, and my boyfriend, but lately it seems that he doesn't want to be either. I mean, you saw what happened earlier. Or do you remember?"

I nodded. "He grabbed your arm. I've never seen him do anything like that before."

She nodded, too. "Yeah, he hasn't. And that's the problem! Things have been getting worse between us. He's all about saving the day - you, mostly - and it seems like he doesn't feel the same about me anymore. I really thought he was mine. That he was the one. I'm starting to rethink that, though."

"Do you want me to talk to him?" I asked.

She didn't say anything for a minute, probably thinking about it. "You don't have to. I mean, on one hand, I want you to, just to see what he'll do. But on the other, I think he'll let me down. Goddess, I really don't want to lose him."

I put my hand on her shoulder, thinking about spirit and how wonderful it felt. "Aphrodite, I think I may know a way I can make things better." She looked up from the floor at me, a huge question mark look on her face. "Spirit, come to me, please."

I automatically felt spirit throughout my body, actually helping me with the pain in my head and some of the dizziness. I wanted to keep it for myself, but I knew that that would be wrong and selfish of me right now. "Go to Aphrodite. Make her feel better. Help her to find the answers she's looking for while I'm gone."

I felt spirit leave me - and felt hollow and awful for a moment, making me want to take it back, but I didn't - and saw the shock go through Aphrodite as it moved throughout her. The tears in her eyes automatically dissolved, and she looked a lot better. Stronger.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to go talk to Darius for you." I said.

"No! You can't go by yourself, Z. Darkness will get you."

I smiled at her. "Aphrodite, one thing I've learned it that you can't let fear keep you from living. I won't go out of the tunnels until I have the baby, that I promise you. But I'm not going to be afraid in my own home, either. I'll call the other elements to me if it will make you feel better."

She nodded and I did as I said I would, calling air first and ending with earth. I couldn't call spirit because I didn't want it to leave her as I left. I knew the only thing holding her together was spirit. I flashed her one more smile as I left her room.

"Fire, help me light the way and chase away any Darkness that's lingering here." I whispered as soon as I was out the door. I was scared, there was no doubt about that, but I knew that what I'd said to Aphrodite was right. I wouldn't stay cooped up in my room for an entire month.

My hands lit up, but they didn't burn. They actually felt a little warmer, as if I had been grabbing handfuls of snow and then put my hands near a fireplace. It was comforting as I walked through the tunnels, making my way back to my room. I thought I'd seen a couple tendrils of Darkness, but it could've just been my mind.

I released the elements just before I walked back in my room. Stark and Darius were the only ones still there. Stark looked up at me and gave me a smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better. My head still hurts, but it's not bad anymore." I assured him. "Where are Stevie Rae and Rephaim?"

Stark got up and walked over to me. "They went to their room. Stevie Rae was right. The sun is coming up in about…" He cocked his head a little bit. "Thirty minutes."

I smiled at him. "In that case, why don't you go get something to eat before bed? You haven't really had anything all day and you need to keep up your strength. That goes for you, too, Darius, but I need to speak with you first."

I'm pretty sure Stark got what I was talking about because he kissed me on my cheek and whispered, "I'll give you two some time to talk. I'll be back soon. I'll bring you some blood."

Even though mentioning blood made me want to go with him to the kitchen right then, I made myself stay back so that I could talk to Darius. "Okay, so-"

Darius cut me off. "My lady is unhappy with me."

I stopped walking toward him and just sighed. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"It is not hard to tell. She has been acting different for days now, and I believe it is because of me." He didn't look happy about what he was saying, so I took that as a bad sign.

"You mean, you don't want to be with her anymore?" I asked, totally shocked. If it was because of him, did that mean that he didn't feel the same about her anymore? He'd seemed so loyal to her that I couldn't imagine that happening.

"No! That is not what I meant at all. I love Aphrodite, with every cell in my body. I can't imagine a world without her."

"Then what are you talking about?" I was seriously confused.

"I think she may have changed her mind about me. She hasn't been spending as much time with me lately. After Nyx showed herself to us, she's been…different. I honestly do not understand what is going on. Maybe she has decided that she doesn't want me anymore." he said, looking as if he was going to cry. The thought made me want to cry. Imagining this man - this _giant _of a man - crying seemed almost impossible, and definitely heart-breaking.

Instead of crying, I gave a little laugh. "Oh, warrior, is this confusing and ironic or what? Aphrodite said the same thing about you! She thinks you're the one who doesn't want _her _anymore."

"Really?" he asked, still not looking convinced.

I nodded my head and said, "Yep. Maybe you should go talk to her and tell her how you feel."

"Yes, Priestess." He shot up from the bed, bowed formally to me, and hurried out the door.

I heard fledglings coming into the tunnels - sound really travelled down there. None of them bothered me, even though I could hear Damien and the Twins outside my door, debating on whether they should come in and check on me, or go see Stevie Rae and ask her what was up. I guess they decided on asking Stevie Rae because they never came in. I knew I would have to let them in on everything tomorrow, something I really didn't want to do.

I sighed and got back in bed, closing my eyes. Stark brought me a cup of blood, which I promptly guzzled down, and then we laid together, cuddling until we fell asleep. This time, I didn't have any dreams.

**[Okay, I do this in a lot of my stories because my stars don't work on fanfiction to symbolize that it is going from one characters perspective to another's. So, from now on, I will just put BREAK in these brackets. I think you'll get that it's shifting.]**

Aphrodite sat on the bed, feeling lonelier by the second. She didn't want to believe that her warrior had fallen out of love with her, but at the time it seemed like that was what was happening. She let out a sigh just as the curtain to her room moved, and Darius walked in.

She gave him a small smile and said, "Hey."

His expression mirrored hers. "Hello."

They stayed like that for a moment. Him standing right inside the door, her sitting on the bed, probably looking like she had just cried her eyes out because she had. She wondered what Zoey had said to him. He didn't look like he had come there to tell her that it was over between the two of them, but she knew better. Even though she told people that she was the one who did most of the breaking-up, she had had guys break up with her before, and she had never seen it coming with most of them.

She was just about to ask him what it was they were doing, and if they should stay together, when he charged forward and wrapped her in his arms, picking her up. His mouth found hers, filling her with sweet delight. He still loved her! Zoey must have told him how she felt, and he must have felt bad about it because he loved her back.

Aphrodite wrapped her own arms around her warrior's neck, loving the feel of him. They'd still yet to have sex, even though they had gotten pretty close a couple of times. It wasn't like she hadn't touched his man-parts before.

He laid her on the bed and got on top of her. He broke apart from her mouth and started leaving a trail of kissed down her neck, all the while saying, "I love you. I love you so much. I love you."

"Oh, I love you, too, Darius! So much!" she whispered back, fiercely. She was a little nervous about her next thought. She wanted Darius, but she was so nervous. She'd never had sex with anyone she actually loved before, and, to her, it was a lot easier to have sex with someone you didn't love. It made things so much more complex with there were feelings involved. Finally, she made her decision.

She reached down and started undoing his belt. He stopped kissing her and looked down at her hands. A small smile was on his face when he looked back up at her. "Are you sure?" he asked, breathlessly.

Aphrodite bit her lip while she nodded.

Darius gave her a sexy smile while he said, "If that is what my lady wants, then that is what she'll get."

They spent most of the day tangled with each other. They laughed and played, but mostly they made love to each other over and over again. Aphrodite knew she would be sore the next evening when she woke up.

Eventually, the decided to go to sleep. They knew they were waking everyone else up with their…escapades. Aphrodite turned over and blew out the oil lamp that sat on a dresser next to their bed. She put her head on Darius's shoulder, loving the feel of their naked flesh together.

She was so tired, she almost passed out as soon as her head was on his shoulder, but not before he whispered, "I love you, Aphrodite," and she whispered, "I love you, too, Darius," back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I have days where I feel better and days where I don't even want to get out of bed. Hopefully, I will be better within the week. I hope you like this chapter. It was a little difficult for me to write, but I managed. Oh, and thank you so much for the get well wishes, and especially houseofnightfan for your story. It did make me laugh, although I am sorry about your ankle. A little time has passed in the second half of the story, just because Zoey has to stay in the tunnels so not much will happen to her. I will probably skip a little time from here on. Hope you guys enjoy!**

_**Neferet**_

Neferet rode the white bull all the way back to her unknown apartment. They didn't say anything to each other as they went, but she could tell that the white bull had _a lot _that he wanted to say to her.

She was scared that she had hit Zoey a little too hard. That weak little girl had gone down like a rag doll. How was Neferet to know that a fledgling with so much power would be so physically weak? Neferet couldn't help the power she put behind her blow; she was just so mad. Standing there, watching Zoey walk out of the clinic with her friends - while hidden, of course - all talking about how happy they were that the child was normal had pissed her off.

It wasn't just the fact that the child would probably bring about the destruction of her and the white bull's plans, but also that she was a little jealous. She didn't know where it had come from. She had no lingering feelings for Kalona, although he was one of the hottest men she had ever seen. But for some reason, she hated the fact that her old consort and lover had lain with her enemy. And not only had he lain with her, but he had _impregnated _her. Although she would never admit it to herself or anyone else, the thought unnerved her to no end. It really wasn't the fact that he had done it to Zoey, but rather the fact that it would be impossible for him to ever impregnate _her_.

The only way Neferet could tell that the white bull had things he wanted to say to her - bad things, at that - was that he was rigid underneath her. Usually his movements were graceful and lithe, as if he were floating on air. Tonight was different. He moved as if he were trying to fight through the air. She could hear him grunting, something he did when he was bothered.

Neferet suddenly didn't want to be on top of him anymore. She was afraid, which was unusual for her. She wasn't afraid of anything; she was so powerful she could flick her wrist and kill someone where they stood, all without touching them. The white bull was a different story altogether. One didn't mess with the white bull, for he was Darkness personified, pure evil.

After what seemed like forever, they arrived at her apartment. The bull had a strange power that Neferet had never come into contact with before. Although she knew that magick existed, this was one thing she thought was only capable of in the movies. The white bull could teleport. Of course, it wasn't _really _teleporting. At first she thought he had just cloaked himself until he got to the spot where he wanted to be seen, but then she experienced it with him.

He would literally pull himself apart. Not by ripping off limbs or anything, but by calling Darkness to help him disintegrate, molecule by molecule. Those molecules would then go to where he wanted and put themselves together again. He couldn't teleport very far, only the distance of about a few buildings, but it was helpful anyways.

When he did, and Neferet was on top of him, she would disintegrate, too. The only way she could think to describe it was like falling really fast from very high up, and then suddenly not. She couldn't really think of anything while it happened. It was as if she would exist one moment, then not exist, and then suddenly she did again, this time in a different place.

Tonight, the white bull did not disintegrate with her. Instead, he stopped in front of the building and whispered in her mind, _Go inside. I will be there when you get in. _His words were very clipped, as if he were trying to keep himself under control.

Neferet did not understand. "But, Consort-"

He cut her off. _This is not up for discussion. Do it._

She felt the sting of his words as if he'd slapped her, but she slipped off of him without another word. She called Darkness around her and slipped, not so gracefully this time, into the building. Inside, there was a staircase that led upstairs with a hallway right next to it leading to the apartments on the ground floor. There were a couple of college-aged kids in front of the hallway, holding a newspaper and talking about the wanted ads, but they didn't even look up when she walked in. It was a good thing the door didn't make a sound when she walked in because they would have been very confused.

The white bull was standing in her living room when she walked in, just as he had said he would be. He rounded on her as soon as the door was closed.

_What have you done?_

"Consort-"

_My lord._ he corrected her.

Again, she felt as if she had been slapped. "My lord," she said slowly, "I did not know that she couldn't take that hard of a blow. I am so, so sorry."

He didn't look like he believed her. _I told you that you were not to kill her. But you couldn't help yourself, could you? Perhaps I have chosen the wrong one to call Consort…_

"No, my lord! I swear to you that I meant no permanent harm to the girl." Neferet pleaded.

_Do you realize that not only did you almost kill her yourself, but that I could barely maintain my control on the Darkness that I have given to you, and it wanted to kill her, also? Your hatred for that girl has caused you to slip up. The Darkness that _you _control will soon control _you _if you let your anger get away from you that way again._

He hadn't been whispering in her mind, as he usually did. No, it was a full-blown yell that ran through her mind, making her want to make herself as small as possible. He had never been like this to her. He had shown her nothing but fondness for her, while still letting her know that he was the one in charge. Now she knew what true Darkness was like.

"I am sorry, my lord." she said, bowing her head down in a sign of respect, but also not wanting to look at him. Her voice was just over a whisper. "I have shamed you. I will take whatever punishment you deem necessary without protest."

He was silent for a long time but Neferet never looked up at him. She knew she had failed him and did not want to see the look of disappointment he held for her. She felt as if this would be the look one would receive from their significant other when they had cheated on them, but knew that there would be one key difference between the two looks. One had hurt mixed with anger, while the white bull's had no hurt in it whatsoever.

_Ah, my consort. Do not be so low. You did not kill her and that is what really matters. Go fetch a cup from the cabinet. We have work to do. _His voice was a whisper again.

Neferet did as he said, still without looking at him. She felt like a scolded little girl whose parents had just caught her stealing.

She brought the cup back to him and he walked her through what she had to do. Zoey's blood had been nestled in a little vial that Neferet had stored in her pocket. When she hit Zoey, she made sure that she got the blood they needed underneath her long index finger nail. When she had climbed on the bull, she opened the vial and poured the blood in. It wasn't a lot but it was enough to do what they needed.

Neferet poured the blood in the cup and mixed it with some herbs that the white bull had brought her. She also put some different liquids into the cup, also brought by the white bull. It didn't take very long to get the mixture together.

_You must call on Darkness and give it a sacrifice. Whoever you sacrifice must be very powerful for the spell to work; we can't have imperfections in this plan if we want it to work. I suggest you kill Thanatos. Not only will she be out of our way then - and not able to tell the council that you are working with me - but she will be the perfect specimen. _the white bull whispered to Neferet.

"My lord, I am afraid that she will see it coming. Her affinity is for death itself. She will sense that something is coming for her. She knows it is not yet her time, and she will be on guard. Not to mention that she will have as many Sons of Erebus protecting her as she can. There is no way we can use her." Neferet explained.

The white bull thought for a minute. _Perhaps one of Zoey's friends would do… One with an element. They are powerful. What do you think, lover?_

Neferet thought about this for a moment. "I suppose it would be easy enough for me to get into the tunnels undetected. Although, they are a part of Zoey's circle. She is very close to each of them. When her consort was killed, her soul shattered. If that happened again, she wouldn't be fit to go through with our plan."

The white bull was obviously upset that they could think of no one to sacrifice. They sat there, thinking, until Neferet realized something she had not thought of before.

"Consort, why do we have to sacrifice someone now? I thought you said that we would have to do the spell right before the child is born?" she asked.

_That is true. We are going to do the spell right as Zoey goes into labor, but the spell has to work itself up. Zoey will give birth in less than a month. _Neferet gasped. The white bull told her all about how the child was made from an immortal and mortal, and that it would grow faster than a normal human child. _That is plenty of time for the spell to work itself up. You see, when we do the spell tonight or tomorrow night, it will go to the child and plant a seed. That seed will slowly bud into a flower. A flower…made of Darkness._

_The child will succumb to Darkness, live for it. The spell will notify you when the child is ready to come out in the world, and then you will mutter three simple words: awaken, dark child. It is simple, yes, but it will tell the child when it is to take on its new form. Then it will rip itself out of its mother, killing Zoey and unleashing our new weapon of Darkness into the world._

Neferet shivered. Before she could ask the white bull anything else, he spoke again.

_Come, my heartless one. We have to search for a sacrifice…_

**[BREAK; I AM SKIPPING TIME HERE BECAUSE ZOEY HAS TO STAY IN THE TUNNELS WHILE SHE IS PREGNANT AND THAT IS PRETTY UNEVENTFUL. SO, WE ARE SKIPPING ABOUT A WEEK HERE.]**

I woke up in the middle of the day, turning over so that my face could hang over the edge of the bed. Stark had set a little bucket there for me before he went to bed because I had been experiencing some nausea. I hadn't thrown up yet - thank Goddess! - but I would get hit by nausea sometimes that would leave me dry heaving.

We had determined that my baby grew at about nine times a normal baby would, so I was about nine weeks along. My stomach had a very tiny bump at the bottom of it, but you couldn't see it unless I lifted my shirt and turned sideways. I'd done plenty of that in front of a long mirror Darius had gotten me. It was weird to think that there was a little person inside me.

Today was different than other days. I actually threw up. It's what woke me up. I thought I had read somewhere that you were supposed to get morning sickness earlier than nine weeks, but I couldn't be sure. A small film of sweat draped my forehead as I threw up.

When I was done, I sat up, taking deep breaths. I desperately needed to brush my teeth.

"You okay?" Stark asked in a mumble. It sounded more like "Oooh kaaay?" His hand reached out to grab mine. I wrapped my fingers in his.

I nodded, but then realized that his eyes were shut again. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little morning sickness is all."

Stark shot up straight then. "Are you okay? Do you need me for anything? Want me to get rid of that bucket?"

I gave him a small smile. "Slow down, honey. I'm fine. People throw up all the time, especially pregnant women. I'll take care of it, you go back to sleep."

He shook his head. "No, I want to help you. Why don't you go up to the bathrooms while I take care of the bucket? Er, wait. Someone needs to go up there with you." He stopped talking, probably thinking about whether he wanted to go with me or if he should get Darius.

I laughed this time. "Stark, you need to go back to bed. You don't even remember that we got a bowl down here so that I could brush my teeth without having to go anywhere. We also got one of those God awful chamber pots, although I have no idea where Rephaim got it, and have no intention of ever using it."

Stark slipped a sexy smile on then. "Oh, c'mon." he said, sliding closer to me and wrapping his arms around me. "You wouldn't even use it if we'd just…ya know…and you just wanted to go to bed with me?"

I rolled my eyes. "You are such a man! Look, let me brush my teeth, put the bucket outside for Darius to take care of, and then we'll cuddle up and go back to sleep, 'kay?"

He sighed, mumbling an agreement, but got up to take the bucket out anyway. I brushed my teeth while he did. He fell asleep right when his head hit the pillow, and I crawled in next to him. It took me a while to get back to sleep, but when I did, I couldn't contain myself.

I hadn't seen Kalona in my dreams since we had…well, you know. That was more than a week ago. A week and a day to be precise. I had been counting because I'd figured he'd want to see me every night so that he could have an update on the baby. I was beginning to think he didn't want anything to do with me anymore until now.

When I saw him, I couldn't help smiling. I was just so happy to see him! But then I remembered that he hadn't come to me, or sent me any word at all, for a week, and then I became angry again. Well, more sad than angry. This entire week, I acted normal with my friends - they knew now; we had to tell them - and Stark, but on the inside I was crumbling. I had really thought he'd used me just like Loren did. And Kalona was right. The more time that went by, the more I caught myself thinking of him when I was wrapped in Stark's arms - wishing that he were the one holding me instead. It was wrong, but I couldn't help it.

"Ah, Zoeybird, how I've missed you!" Kalona said, wrapping me in his arms.

Even though I wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms forever, I pushed him away. My arms stayed reached out for him of their own account. He saw this before I had a chance to wrap them around myself and my stomach protectively.

"My love, what is wrong?" he asked.

I snorted. "'_My love._' Please! You don't love me! If you loved me, you would have come to me sooner." Even though I was yelling at him, it was just a front. I wanted to cry and beg him never to leave me alone that long ever again, but I knew that I couldn't give in like that. Anger was better than sadness at the moment.

He looked hurt, and I automatically wanted to take the words back. "I-I'm sorry. I couldn't come. Please, let me explain."

I made my voice icy. "Oh, go ahead. Not like I'm going to believe a word you say. You abandoned me!"

Suddenly, his face wasn't hurt or apologetic anymore. It was angry. I thought of the first time we had made love, when he was mad at me for making A-ya go away. The thought made me jerk. A-ya was the one thing I had been trying to forget this entire time. She was the other woman - the one getting in the way. But, then, I realized that _I _was the other woman.

"I _did not _abandon you. I thought about you every second that I was gone! How dare you say something like that to me?" He closed the distance between us with two large strides and pulled me into his arms. "I love you, Zoey. I wanted to be with you this entire time, but I couldn't."

I was crying now, but he couldn't see it. He had my head tucked under his chin, and he was stroking my face. I wanted to push him away again, but I just didn't have it in me. We stayed like that for a moment, but then I couldn't take the silence anymore. "Were you with _her_?"

Kalona's hand stopped stroking my face and his entire body went rigid. I knew that I had thought right: he had been with A-ya this entire time. He'd lied to me. It wasn't that he couldn't come to me, it was that he didn't want to because he was with his _true _love, his A-ya. Well, I was tired of this game. I would have this child, and then I would send it to an adoption center or something. It was perfectly normal, so there was nothing wrong with the plan.

I pulled away from him, the tears drying up as I did. I didn't yell the next words at him, like I wanted to. "Go away. Leave me alone, and never come back. I never, ever want to see you again. I _hate _you."

In truth, most of the stuff I said was just to hurt him. It wasn't true, I didn't hate him. I loved him. But I wanted him to get the message that I never wanted him around me again. It was just too much. Plus, I figured if he thought I didn't want him, it might keep him from trying to come down here to see me, and thereby destroying the world.

"There is a thin line between love and hate." he said in a calm voice. "And you don't mean what you said."

I stuck my chin out, putting my brave face on as I did. "I do mean it. I don't want you anymore." And then I thought of the worst thing I could ever say to him. "I have Stark."

For a second, it did exactly what I wanted it to. His face fell, and he looked as if he might shatter into a million pieces. I thought he would fly away then and leave me to my dream, but his face became that mask of anger again.

"Oh, really?" he asked. "_His _child is inside you right now?"

I took a step back. I hadn't expected that. "It may not be his biologically, but we can easily raise it together. I could even get Rephaim to help." I was hurting him on purpose and that was something I'd never thought I would do. I didn't want to hurt him but he gave me no choice.

That did it. He turned around, away from me. His shoulders shook and I instantly felt a pang of sadness. I didn't want him to cry. I found myself taking a step toward him when he rounded on me. In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of me. There were tears in his eyes but none had fallen yet. "Why, Zoey? _Why_?" he asked.

But I didn't have a chance to explain anything to him. He grabbed the back of my head and brought my face to his. He kissed me hard, making my legs feel like jelly. How could I be so angry and hurt with him, but so attracted and needing of him at the same time? It didn't make any sense. I put my arms up, trying to push him off.

He grabbed both of my hands in just one of his. "No." he said, before kissing me some more. My entire body felt like it was on fire. In that moment, I knew that he was the one I was supposed to be with. A part of me grieved for Stark and our lost relationship, but I knew that I couldn't keep up the charade. I loved Kalona, and I couldn't hide it anymore.

I whimpered, causing him to pick me up and put his tongue in my mouth at the same time. The air was going a million miles an hour around us, and then it suddenly stopped. He laid me down on a bed, laying himself down right next to me. I got to look at the room as he did.

We were in a bedroom that looked like it belonged in a castle. It was a four-poster bed with purple linens dangling from the top of it. The room looked small because the giant bed took up most of the room in it. The only other thing in the room was a giant mirror hanging on the wall across from the bed, in a perfect position to see us laying on the bed.

"You're right." Kalona said, interrupting my surveillance of the room.

"About?"

"I was with A-ya. That's why I couldn't come to you."

I felt my cheeks start burning. Why would he say something like that to me right now? Before I could stop myself, my hand snaked out and slapped him. I immediately pulled my hand to my chest, afraid of what would happen next.

Kalona blew out a breath and brought another shaky one in. He looked angry, but not to the point of doing anything to me. He didn't look at me as he said, "She became suspicious when I came back to her. I think…she knew that I was with you. I couldn't sneak away from her long enough to see you. We had…things…to do."

I noticed that he paused when before he said "things", and I thought he'd meant he'd slept with her. I gasped. "You…you…" I couldn't finish.

He looked at me then, taking one of my hands. "No, no. We didn't…do anything like _that_. I couldn't. I can't. But…we are…well, planning a ceremony."

This time I was still. My brain was having a hard time comprehending what he was saying. A ceremony? What kind of ceremony? What was he talking about? I knew, but I didn't want to admit it. After a few horrible moments of silence, the tears started falling and I whispered, "You're getting married to her?"

He didn't look at me while he said, "No, well, yes. Sort of. We don't get married in Nyx's kingdom. Instead, we have a bonding ceremony. Instead of being Nyx's warrior, I will be A-ya's. But…it is much like a wedding. Everyone else will view us as married."

I took a few shaky breaths. I was angry again. I was fully prepared to tell Stark when I woke up that we couldn't be together anymore because I loved Kalona, but here Kalona was making plans to marry A-ya. How could I be so stupid?

"You _asshole!_" I yelled. I punched him on the arm, followed by a few smacks. "How dare you come here and seduce me while you're planning a wedding with another woman!"

"Zoey! Zoey!" he yelled. "I'm not going through with it! I just have to let her believe I am until…until the right time."

I laid back on one of the pillows, not looking at him. "Just leave."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "Fine. If that's the way you want it."

I thought he was going to leave, but, instead, he climbed on top of me. I asked him what he was doing, but he didn't answer me. He closed his eyes and ran a hand down the side of my body. I realized with a start that I had no clothes on. He had taken them off with his mind!

"Get off me!" I yelled, furious. I went to push him off, but he put one of his hands on the most sensitive part of my body. Rage turned to desire, and I was surprised at how bad I wanted him.

I gave a little moan and he smiled at me. "Do you still want me to leave?"

Yes. "No." I said. Goddess, my will power sucks.

We made love then, slowly and passionately. I reached the tippy-top of the pleasure scale more than three times before it was his turn.

As we lay there, naked and panting, he whispered, "I will call off the bonding as soon as I see her."

I smiled. "And I'll tell Stark. There's bound to be some drama, but I have to do it."

"It won't be easy." he warned.

"It never is."

And with that, we sealed our fate.


	13. Zoey&Kalona

**Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. This lymphadenitis comes and goes in waves. Plus, I have had chronic migraines since I was in the third grade and they can be really bothersome. I live in Texas and we've been getting a lot of rain lately. When it rains, the barometric pressure increases and causes me to have a migraine. So, I have been miserable the past couple of days. I hope you can forgive me. This chapter is a little shorter than the other ones are because I haven't been able to do much writing. I will try to update again ASAP, but bear with me, okay? I promise I will keep writing this story until it is finished, no matter how long it takes me. =] So, enjoy!**

I'd been thinking for the past week how I was going to break the news to Stark. I'd seen Kalona twice, each time we spoke about how we were going to tell our…significant others that we couldn't see them anymore. It was pretty difficult because I knew that deep down in my heart I really loved Stark. I didn't want to break his heart, and I knew that by breaking up with him I would be breaking my own heart as well.

It was horrible that I was going to have to do this because Stark had been helping me so much during the pregnancy. We estimated that I was about eighteen weeks along, and you could definitely tell I was pregnant! I had the baby bump that was obvious to anyone who looked at me. So far, my pregnancy sucked. I got heartburn every time I ate, my back was always killing me, and my ankles were starting to swell a bit. It didn't help that I was breaking out and getting stretch marks.

Stark was incredibly helpful with everything. If I complained about heartburn, he'd get me some Tums. If my back was hurting, he would rub it for me. Same with my feet and ankles. He'd even rub lotion on my stomach when he caught me looking at the ugly stretch marks.

It made what I had to do that much worse. I was lying in bed, reading the new issue of Cosmopolitan when Stark came in to check up on me. I had told myself earlier that the next time Stark and I were alone, I would tell him. I really didn't want to do it, but I knew that I had to.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, sliding in bed next to me and grabbing my hand.

I gave him a small half-smile and mumbled, "I'm alright."

His smile turned into a frown of worry. "Are you sure? You don't sound alright. Is it your back? Heartburn?"

"No, no. I mean, yeah, they are bothering me, but it's not so bad." I shrugged, trying to let some of the tension in my body roll away. My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest.

Stark gave me another little smile and scooted closer to me. "Then what is it, sweetheart?"

That did it. Right then, when he called me sweetheart, I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't take the fact that I was about to break his heart, and I couldn't take the fact that I was in love with both him and Kalona. This was all so confusing. Add my crazy hormones from the pregnancy on top of that, and I turn into a big ball of mess.

I started crying, and I mean _hard_ crying. It just burst out of me. It was as if I couldn't control it. Stark automatically started whispering sweet, smoothing things into my ear, all the while stroking my hair. I wasn't really listening to what he was saying, I was too preoccupied crying. I wanted to get it out of my system. I knew that I would cry more after I did it, but right now I needed to cry too.

"Shush. Shush. Baby, tell me what's wrong? Is it…the situation? Are you alright? Zoey, talk to me! Please!" Stark was whispering frantically.

I held my breath, trying to collect myself. I knew that if I didn't hold my breath for at least thirty seconds I would just wind up hiccupping between every word. Stark was still whispering things to me as I did this. I finally took a deep breath and got myself under control.

"I don't know what to do…" I whispered.

Stark pulled my face up to look at him. "What is it? I couldn't hear you."

I took another deep breath and made myself look at him. "I don't know what to do." This time I said it louder. "I'm so confused. This is all just…too much."

Stark pulled away from me, making sure to keep eye contact. "What are you talking about, Z? What we're going to do with the baby once it's born? Hell, if you don't want it, give it up for adoption. If you want it… Well, we'll raise it together. I'll help you. I'm here for you."

I took another long, deep breath. "No, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about…the spell." Wow. I had not meant to say that at all. I was going to say, "I'm talking about us," but apparently my mouth was doing its own thing.

"The spell?" He looked confused for a moment, but then he got it. "Oh. You mean you and…Kalona?" I nodded. "What about it?"

That was what broke me. I couldn't hold my desperation in any longer. "It's horrible! I can't stand this! This spell makes me attracted to Kalona, and I know that that is what makes me feel everything else. When I'm around him, I can't control myself. I feel like I love him, but I know that deep down I don't. I love you! I don't know what to do!"

I hadn't realized until now that Kalona might feel the same way. When he spends more time with me, he might start gaining more feelings for me. But he might also know that these feelings aren't natural, they are from the spell. What if he loves A-ya deep down, and I am just getting in the way? Ah, hell!

"Oh, sweetheart." Stark grabbed me and pulled me into his chest. I hadn't expected a reaction like this. I'd expected him to be upset, yell, _something _along those lines. But, no, he had to be the guy that I fell in love with. The sweet, understanding Stark that made my heart flutter every time I saw him.

He slowly rocked me while he stroked my hair and tried to soothe me. "Honey, I know that things are going to be hard. I know that…this spell is making you feel things you wouldn't normally feel. And I know that sometimes… Sometimes you'll do things that I won't approve of. But I want you to know that, even though I'm _not _okay with it, I understand it. I know that you aren't doing things because you _want _to, but because the spell makes you _think _you want to."

I cried silently in his arms.

"Zoey, _I love you_. I know that you love me, too. It may be hard to see that right now, and it will only get harder from here, but I want you to know that I will never, _ever _leave you. I am not only your consort, I am your warrior. If you choose that you want to be with Kalona, so be it. I will be standing right there next to you, making sure you're safe." With that, he kissed the top of my head.

"Oh, Stark. I love you, too. So much." I turned my head up to kiss him.

We stayed like that for a long time, just kissing. It wasn't until Stark's hand brushed my hair back behind my shoulders that I realized how much I wanted him. Not just for sex, but because I wanted to be closer to him. I wanted to show him just how much I loved him.

And for the first time in weeks, I actually, _really _made love, instead of just having sex.

**[BREAK; KALONA'S POV]**

There was a shift in the air. At least, Kalona thought he felt a shift. It was very slight, barely feeling like a breeze. Something in his gut was telling him that something was wrong. He lifted his face up, trying to get a feel of what it was. If he concentrated hard enough, he'd be able to tell what it was that was bothering him so much.

"My love?" Kalona was interrupted by A-ya. He turned his face to her and she smiled up at him, putting her hand on his bare chest. "Do you think we should do white lace, or moccasin?"

A-ya had been going on and on about what type of fabric they should wear at their bonding ceremony. As far as she was concerned, they were already bonded. But Kalona wasn't so sure anymore. He loved her, deep down. He knew he did. But there was a part of him that didn't want to go through with the ceremony. He wasn't sure if she was the right one for him anymore. The feelings he had for Zoey were caused by the spell, but they felt so real!

"I think the lace would work better because we are in Nyx's kingdom, but I am torn. I want it to be authentic to our people." A-ya continued, not noticing that Kalona wasn't paying much attention.

"_Your _people." he corrected her.

She looked hurt at his comment. He didn't want to hurt her, but it was the truth. "I'm sorry, sweet. It's just that… I am not really of your people. I am an immortal. _This place_," he gestured around himself, "is where I am from. I may have stayed in your village for a time, but I am not from there."

A-ya took her hand away from his chest and turned around to look at the two dresses before her. One was made of white lace - a lot like traditional wedding dresses on earth - and the other was made out of moccasin. "Then I suppose we should go with white lace. After all, you are much more important than I am."

That last comment was meant to make Kalona feel guilty. Somewhere, deep inside him, something stirred. Yes, it bothered him a little, but not like it would have before Zoey came along. Still, he knew he had to keep up appearances. "Oh, sweet, I am sorry. I did not mean to -"

Suddenly, a searing pain made its way through Kalona's body. He fell to the ground, yelling out as he did. It felt as if his insides were being ripped out. He was aware that A-ya had crouched down next to him and was yelling. He couldn't make out what she was saying, the pain was so horrible.

Kalona spread out from a ball to laying on the ground. The pain was starting to ease up, but it was far from gone. He could feel the sweat beading all over his body, the ripples going through every single one of his muscles. His head felt as if someone had stuck a hot poker into it. His wings thrashed by themselves, he not being able to control them.

He was vaguely aware that A-ya had to move back because of his wings. He didn't want her to move back. He wanted her right there next to him.

"No!" he yelled, barely able to get the word out. "A…ya…."

She ran back over to him, trying to avoid crashing into his wings. "Oh, love! What is happening?"

He didn't know. He couldn't think through all of the pain. Maybe Nyx was punishing him for not telling A-ya what was going on. It wasn't like Zoey and…_her warrior_'s situation. A-ya knew nothing about what was going on. She did not know that Zoey was pregnant with Kalona's child, and she also didn't know that Zoey and Kalona were having a secret affair. That warrior of Zoey's knew about the spell, so he must have thought about what the consequences would be.

Out of nowhere, the pain stopped. Kalona was able to control his body once again and breathe carefully. Every muscle in his body was sore, but they weren't on fire anymore. Finally, he was able to think about what might have happened.

There were three situations running through his mind. The first was that the spell had somehow been broken. If that was the case, something had happened that was so big it broke the bond between Kalona and Zoey. Either Zoey and her friends had found some way to break the spell, or Zoey had… No! He wouldn't think of that. Zoey would never betray their love like that.

The second was even more horrible than the first. Something bad had happened. Somehow, Zoey had lost the child. It had to have been some sort of accident that pressed on her stomach just the right way. He could only remember two instances where the mother of his children lost the child. One was in a freak accident; the mother had been walking with one of the men in the tribe along a cliff, tripped, and her stomach flew right into the side of the cliff when the man grabbed her and kept her from falling. The other…

That is what brought him to his third thought. He didn't want to think about it, but it popped into his head before he could stop it…

Zoey was dead.

He stopped himself from imagining different scenarios where Zoey had died. The only thing that he knew of for sure was that the bond between he and Zoey had been broken. He couldn't feel her or the child, and that was something that chilled him to the bone. But there was something that scared him even more than that.

He had never been this scared in his life before, and just that thought scared him more than anything else ever could.

**[BREAK; ZOEY'S POV]**

I was laying with Stark on the bed, loving the feel of his bare skin next to mine. He was rubbing my stomach, talking about how we were going to make a great family. He kept talking about different things we would do depending on if the baby were a boy or a girl, something we would find out tomorrow. Rephaim kept saying that he is sure it is a girl, but we want to be certain.

It wasn't until Stark was asleep, and I was close to sleep, when I realized that I hadn't thought of Kalona once after we'd made love. That was extremely weird considering the fact that I had thought of nothing but Kalona for a straight week.

In my mind, it wasn't Kalona standing with me and our child. It was Stark. I thought of nothing but Stark. _My _Stark.

I knew that the bond between Kalona and I had been broken when I thought specifically about Kalona and felt absolutely nothing. My problems were fixed! I could be with Stark without having to carry around the burden of also loving Kalona! Now, Stark, me, and the child that we would raise as his and mine instead of Kalona's and mine, could live happily ever after.

I should've known that it wouldn't be as simple as that…


	14. Zoey&Darius

**Okay, so this chapter is a little longer than most because I haven't been updating very often. I really think you are going to like this one! It's pretty…well, dramatic. At least at the end. Oh, and to houseofnightfan: a woman can have sex while pregnant. There are a lot of people who get scared about "poking" the baby - lol - but that can't happen. The only thing that the baby wouldn't like is if the man squished the woman's stomach while they were doing it.**

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! You guys are the best! And make sure to pay special attention to the question at the bottom because it is going to have a major impact on the end of the story. I need your help! Every single person who likes this story needs to review and give me an answer because it will affect the end of the story DRAMATICALLY! Okay, that's all for now. Enjoy!**

Not much happened for the next two days. I didn't see Kalona in my dreams, the baby was growing normally - well, as normal as it could get, being a half-immortal half-mortal baby - and we were relatively safe. We hadn't seen Neferet since she smacked the bullpoopie out of me and we hadn't been to the House of Night in weeks. I hadn't seen much of my friends because they knew I needed rest, but I missed all of them so much! That was why I'd decided to go out to the kitchen to eat today, instead of having Stark bring me something.

"Zoey! You're out of bed!" Damien exclaimed when he saw me walk through the door.

I gave a little laugh as everyone turned to stare at me. It seemed like everyone was up and moving around, even though the sun had just gone down. Stevie Rae, Aphrodite, Darius, Stark, Damien, Shaunee, Erin, Kramisha, literally _everyone _was in the kitchen. "Yeah, I figured I needed to spend a little time on my feet. I remember my mom was always walking around when she was pregnant with my little brother, so I thought I could use some exercise."

Aphrodite rushed forward. "Don't you think you should do some of that exercising outside of the tunnels?" She grabbed both my arms and tried to turn me toward the door.

"Aphrodite, what is up with you? Didn't you tell me yourself that I shouldn't go above ground? That Darkness would get me if I did?" I asked, totally confused.

For a moment, Aphrodite looked confused, too. She actually looked around at everyone, her eyes pleading for someone to step in. When they didn't, she just shook her head. "Uh, yeah, you're right about that. And I also said that Darkness could be down here in the tunnels with us. So, don't you think you should stay in your room? You could walk around in circles."

I snorted, but couldn't help the laugh that came out afterwards. "Oh my Goddess! Aphrodite, what had gotten into you? Actually, what's up with _all _of you? I thought you would be happy to see me!"

Stevie Rae walked forward, her face going from stressed and panicked to calm and soft. "We are happy to see you, Z. We haven't seen you in what seems like forever!" She rushed forward and put her hand on my belly without asking me. "Wow! Your belly is huge! That is too freaky."

I rolled my eyes. "Way to make me feel normal, Stevie Rae." She was right, though. My stomach was considerably bigger than it had been the last time they saw me, two weeks ago. Darius predicted that I was about twenty weeks(in normal time) along now. In fact, Stark and Darius were supposed to grab breakfast and then take Stevie Rae with them to get an ultrasound technician to come down into the tunnels. Now was the perfect time for another ultrasound. We would find out if it was a boy or a girl for sure now!

She gave a little giggle. "Sorry."

"Ugh. Hate to interrupt, but Zoey needs to go back to her room. Like, _now_." Aphrodite said, giving Stevie Rae a look. I knew that look. I had given it to people plenty of times, and I knew exactly what it meant. They were keeping something secret from me.

I looked between the two of them suspiciously, every now and then taking Damien and the Twins into my vision. "Okay." I finally said, exasperated. "What is going on? What are you guys hiding from me?"

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Dammit. Should've known that Z would see right past us. No thanks to…_any of you_!" She looked at everyone in the room. I felt a sinking in my stomach, knowing that another tragedy was going to be thrust at me. _Here we go again_, I thought. "We might as well show her now, even if it's not finished."

"Show me what?" I asked. Now I was getting excited. My friends weren't hiding some deep, dark secret from me. Or, at least, that's not what it sounded like.

"You'll see. Come on." Stevie Rae told me with a big smile on her face. It seemed her happiness was contagious because pretty soon everyone was grinning. "Come on, everybody!"

Aphrodite took one of my arms and Stevie Rae the other. We walked down the tunnels, seeming like we were going to my room. I thought in the back of my mind that maybe they were tricking me. Maybe there was no surprise, or maybe there was, it was just bad and they didn't want me to know yet. So, they were going to stick me back in my room and pretend none of it happened? I was about to make a fuss when we marched straight past my room and to a new room next to it.

I hadn't been out of my room in what seemed like forever, so it's no surprise that I wouldn't know that a new room had popped up right beside mine. Suddenly, Stevie Rae clapped a hand over my eyes. "You can't look yet, Z. It's gotta be a surprise!"

I shrugged and let her shield my eyes, knowing that it wouldn't take long for us to get in the room. They instructed me to walk forward, letting go of my arms and staying behind me, but to keep my eyes shut. I did as they said, worrying that I was going to run into a wall at any moment, until they told me to stop and open my eyes.

I took a deep breath and then let my eyes open. It was beautiful! The room was almost the same size as mine, which was pretty big for being in the tunnels. They'd put pink wallpaper on the walls, fully expecting the baby to be a girl. There was a crib next to the wall nearest to my room, and all sorts of baby stuff everywhere else. There were toys, a diaper-changing table, and a smell-proof garbage can to take care of the dirty diapers.

I saw a rack of clothes in a little closet they'd made, all for the baby. There were at least three-hundred diapers stacked on the wall to the left, the opposite side than the crib. Everything was decorated in pink and purple. _Now, _I thought, _I _really _hope the baby is a girl_.

I gave a little gasp, looking all around the room as I did. I heard some giggles coming from behind me. I turned around to look at all my amazing friends, wondering what I had done to deserve them.

"Oh no!" Erin gasped.

"What's wrong?" Shaunee added.

I was confused for a moment until I realized that I was crying. I shook my head violently. "No, no. Nothing is wrong at all. I absolutely _love _it! I love you guys!"

The smiles that had disappeared at my tears returned, and they all ran forward for a group hug. Then everyone started talking at once, talking about this and that. How Damien had picked the shade of pink for the wallpaper, how Stevie Rae had decided the baby needed a boot-shaped-lamp to remind her of her Aunt Stevie Rae, how Aphrodite wouldn't buy anything but designer clothes for her… It was all just so amazing that I thought I was dreaming.

"You guys are so awesome!" I yelled. They all started laughing again, but automatically stopped when we all heard something. It was a loud bang, and right after it the tunnels shook. At this point, I was so used to things going wrong that I ordered my circle to come to me.

"No, Z." Stevie Rae said.

Damien walked up to stand beside her. "Yeah, Zoey, you can't go. You're holding precious cargo now."

I looked down and wrapped my arms around my now protruding tummy. "Yeah, you're right. But…I can't just let you guys go without me. Look, let me shield myself with night, so that no one will see me. That way there won't be any problems."

Everyone looked at each other. One by one, they all started shaking their heads.

"Zoey," Aphrodite started, "we know how bad you want to help with all the bad things going on out there, but the best thing you can do for everyone is just keep yourself and your baby safe. This baby could be the savior we need. Neferet might know that, and she might try to kill you - again - to keep the baby from being born."

As much as I wanted to go with them, I knew that she was right. I couldn't let Neferet get a hold of me or my baby again. I'd been careless before, and she had hurt me. Now, I needed to be super careful. I nodded and walked out of the nursery and into my room.

"We'll be back in a jiffy!" Stevie Rae exclaimed with a big smile before heading down the hallway with the others.

_I can only hope… _I thought.

**[BREAK; DARIUS'S POV]**

Darius marched his vampyre and fledgling group toward the entrance to the tunnels - the basement of the depot. Once he told them they had to move fast and with stealth, they all ran as fast as they could to the front, trying to keep up with him. But Darius knew that none of them would be able to get there before he could, not even Stark.

Darius was a Son of Erebus. That meant that he had had to train himself to be faster and stronger than anyone else here. Sure, Stark was a warrior as well, but Stark hadn't been through the same training Darius had. His Warrior's Oath had given Stark the ability to run faster than a normal vampyre, but it still wasn't enough.

As he came upon the entrance, he automatically knew that someone was in the depot basement; he could sense them. Darius pulled a knife out of his belt and slowly ascended ladder up to the basement. He knew that the others weren't too far away now, but he wanted to get out and scope the place before they had a chance.

As soon as his eyes were above the entrance, he automatically saw them.

Erik Night was in the depot with the fledgling he had marked, a girl whose name Darius couldn't remember at the moment. Erik must have heard the makeshift "door" they made for the entrance to the tunnel open because he looked straight at Darius.

"Ah, here we go. I haven't been down here a lot." Erik told the girl. Darius was struggling to remember her name.

Once they were a few feet in front of him, Erik stopped, still holding the girl's hand. "Merry meet, Darius."

"Merry meet, Erik…uh…" What was her name?

Erik gave a little smile and the girl blushed. "You remember Shaylin, right?"

Darius gave a little blush himself. "Of course. Merry meet, Shaylin."

Shaylin gave a little nod. Then, as if she thought she was doing something wrong, she gave an awkward salute and said, "Merry meet, Darius."

Darius smiled and then returned his attention back to Erik. "I'm sorry to be so forward, Erik, but I must ask why you are here."

Erik had been smiling while watching the exchange between Shaylin and Darius, but now it fell into a tight line. His eyes narrowed at Darius in suspicion. Shaylin only looked confused standing next to him. "What do you mean? Is there… Is there something going on? Is everyone okay?"

Darius gave him a brisk nod. "I assure you that everyone is well. We are in the middle of a…situation, of course. When are we not?" Darius gave a little chuckle for good measure, but he was afraid Erik had already seen right through him. Darius scolded himself in his head. He had been trained to keep things secret, but only when it came to a direct threat. If someone would have told him that one day he would have to protect a pregnant High Priestess and that he needed to train for it, he would've laughed in their face and gone to train elsewhere.

"What's going on, Darius? Honestly." Erik asked.

Darius let out a breath. It sounded like a sigh, even though he hadn't meant for it to. "We are just trying to determine what our next move should be and we are having some difficulty. Now, again, Erik, what are you doing here?"

Erik shook his head as if to say, "these people are nuts", but he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he said, "None of the red or blue fledglings who have been staying here have been to class in weeks. The House of Night has sent out multiple text messages and even tried to call, but no one has answered them. They sent me to come check on you."

This time it was Darius's turn to narrow his eyes at Erik. "And why did they send you instead of a Son of Erebus, or Thanatos?"

"Thanatos can't come off the grounds at the moment. She says she senses Death is awaiting her, but she doesn't know why. It's not her time yet. And all the Sons of Erebus warriors are needed to protect her and the school at the moment. I'm one of the only male vampyres at the House of Night now, so they figured I'd be able to handle it." Erik shrugged. "They want all of the fledglings back at school tomorrow."

Darius didn't know what to say. He knew that the fledglings were able to go back to school, all but one. Zoey. There was no way she could go to school in her condition. He had two choices: he could either just tell Erik that they would all be there tomorrow, and then come up with a plan to tell them when Zoey didn't show up for class, or he could tell Erik right now that Zoey couldn't come to school for…whatever reason. He decided with the former.

"They will be there. Please tell Thanatos that we are extremely sorry. I believe she will understand why we couldn't come back right away." Darius explained. Erik nodded and started to turn, taking Shaylin with him. As Darius watched them, he remembered something. "Oh, and Erik?" Erik turned to face him. "Will you ask Thanatos to pay us a visit tonight, if she can?"

There was a thumping on the bottom of Darius's boot, but he ignored it. It was probably Stark trying to tell him that that was a bad idea. Darius didn't think it was, though. Thanatos was used to the strange and unusual, so she would probably be able to help them in one way or another.

Erik gave Darius a brisk nod and then turned away. Darius wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Shaylin give Erik a kiss on the cheek just before they were out the door.

**[BREAK; ZOEY'S POV]**

I went back into my nursery when all my friends were gone, just looking at everything again. I still couldn't believe that they had done all this for me. I also noticed that they had put a new type of prenatal vitamins in my room. I was so thankful for that because I had been wanting to try a different kind; the kind I took now gave me indigestion every time I took it.

It didn't seem like they had been gone that long when I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. I turned around and started going for the door when I heard Stark shriek, "Zoey?"

"I'm in here!" I yelled, not wanting to freak him out. I made my way out the door as soon as he went out our bedroom door. He took one long stride to be right in front of me, and then wrapped his arms around me, kissing my forehead.

"Don't scare me like that." he whispered. "You have no idea how much I worry about you."

I laughed. No, he _thought _I had no idea how much he worried about me. I definitely knew how worried he was because he was always trying to keep me by his side. One day, he might learn that we can't always be attached at the hip. But that would probably be after I had the baby…

"I love you." I whispered up at him.

He looked down at me and gave me the biggest smile he could manage. "Oh, I love you, too, sweetheart." He gave me a short, sweet kiss then, grabbing one of my hands and leading me into the bedroom.

Once we were inside and on the bed, I pulled away from his lips and started to laugh. "Stark! We are _not _having sex right now. I'm just now getting to spend some time with my friends!"

Stark gave a sheepish smile and shrugged. "You mean you can resist this? Wow, you are a lot stronger than most girls…" I smacked him on the arm and laughed again, but he got serious. "Z, we have something we need to talk about."

I automatically got serious, too. What if this was what I had been sensing all day? Ever since I had woken up this evening, I'd felt that something was going to happen. It was one of those feelings that Aphrodite and I would both get sometimes. I'd been meaning to ask her if she felt anything, too, but I hadn't gotten the chance. "Okay…?"

Stark took a deep breath. "That was Erik and Shaylin. They said that the House of Night has been trying to get us all to come back to classes but they haven't been able to get a hold of us. Darius told them that we would be back tomorrow, but he didn't say anything about you."

I let out a shaky breath. As soon as he had said that the House of Night wanted us to come back, I started worrying about what they had told them about me. "Well, it looks like we're going to have to come up with a reason for why I can't go to class, huh?"

Stark shook his head. "No. Darius asked Erik to ask Thanatos to come by the tunnels before dawn. I didn't know what he was up to at the time, but he told me why he did it after they left. Thanatos has believed in us all along, right? So, it shouldn't be hard for her to help us with this situation. She might know what to do."

I nodded. "Yeah, I think Darius might be right. Maybe we should've gone to Thanatos a long time ago. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, we haven't really had any contact with the outside world in weeks. Oh Goddess! Grandma! She must be going crazy with worry. I should call her."

I tried to get up, but Stark stopped me. "Not now, Z. You should probably rest."

I rolled my eyes at him. "No. I'm not tired at all. I got up a couple hours ago. I'm going to go call Grandma."

Stark sighed. "Fine. But I'm going to wait at the basement entrance for you, okay? Just to be safe."

I shrugged. If he wanted to wait there, it was fine with me. I just didn't want him eavesdropping on every conversation I had because he thinks I need protection 24/7. Sometimes having a warrior for a boyfriend is a really good thing, but at times like this, it could be pretty annoying.

I grabbed my cell phone from on top of a cabinet where it was charging and walked with Stark down the hallway. No one was really out while we were walking, which seemed kind of weird to me. Maybe they were all getting something to eat and I would see them when I went through the kitchen. But there weren't any fledglings or vampyres in the kitchen, either.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

Stark didn't look like he was too interested in where everyone was. "They're all probably out shopping or something. They've been doing a lot of that for the baby lately."

"And here's Zoey, stuck in the tunnels." I pouted. Stark gave a laugh and wrapped an arm around me.

It took me a little time to get up the ladder and into the basement because of my big belly. I felt like I was swaying, trying to get up it. I worried for a moment if it would cause me to get sick. Once I was in the basement, I turned and gave Stark - who was standing in front of the ladder in the tunnels - a thumbs-up. He gave me a smile in return and sat on one of the ladder's bars.

I opened my phone and looked at the signal. None. Great.

Moving all around, I couldn't get a single bar. I decided to sneak my way into the depot to get more signal, without telling Stark because he would just get all worried about nothing. The door to the basement creaked a little but Stark must have not noticed it because he didn't come out shouting for me.

Once I had two bars, I called my grandma. She answered on the second ring.

"Zoeybird! Oh, I was so worried about you! Why haven't you called?" Grandma shrieked.

"I'm so sorry, Grandma. I've been through a lot these past couple of weeks and just couldn't call you. But I am perfectly fine."

There was silence on the other end for a minute, and I was starting to wonder if I had lost her when she suddenly said, "Zoey, how is the child?"

I shouldn't have been surprised at Grandma's abruptness, but I was. I took a deep breath and said, "It's okay. _She_'s okay. At least, we think it's a girl. That's what Rephaim said, anyway."

I could just see Grandma nod in my head. "I would trust Rephaim's instincts. He has the most experience with this kind of thing. How are you?"

"I'm actually really good. It turns out that this is a part of Nyx's plan. Aphrodite had a vision that my baby will help us fight Neferet." I explained.

Grandma gasped. "But, Zoeybird, won't that take years?"

I gave a little laugh. "No, Grandma. The baby grows nine times as fast as a normal baby does."

"How is the baby supposed to help, Zoey?" she asked.

"We're not quite sure at the moment. In fact, we don't know for sure at all. We're pretty much going on the fact that the baby is normal and not a Raven Mocker." I explained.

"Oh, Zoeybird, I am happy to hear that! How do you - " Grandma was cut off by a ringing of some sort. "Zoey, I am so sorry but I have to go. I'm trying to get custody of your brother and sister and that's the lawyer."

I gasped. "Really, Grandma? That's amazing! Okay, you go ahead and I'll call you again later, okay? I love you, Grandma."

I could literally hear the soft smile in her voice. "Oh, I love you, too, _u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya_."

A tear fell down my cheek as I hung up. I missed my grandma so much! I wiped it away and was turning to leave when I heard something toward the front of the depot. I automatically slid into a nearby classroom, hoping that there wasn't something horrible out there. I crossed my fingers and held my breath while I waited. I started to hear footsteps, and they sounded like they were coming right towards me.

_No, _I thought, _there is no way that whoever it is knows exactly where I am._ I was looking toward the doorway, but no one had come through yet. The footsteps stopped, and I thought I was in the clear, but they started up again. They were getting closer, closer, and even more close. I was praying that it was just Stark.

Suddenly, a bare foot appeared in the doorway, followed by another bare foot. I looked up and up and up…

…and straight into Kalona's eyes.

I didn't even have time to gasp before I was in his arms. He kissed me hard on the mouth.

I pushed away from him. "Kalona, what are you doing? How are you even here?"

He walked while he talked, keeping the smile on his face as he did so. "I came down to see you. I can't get in your dreams anymore because of that warrior of yours."

Before I could respond, he laid me down. I was wondering if he had gone crazy until I saw that I had - yet again - ran straight into the room Kalona and I had first made love in. The blanket was still here, as was the pillow, but they had a little film of dust on them this time.

Kalona started to take off his pants. "What are you doing?" I shrieked.

He got them all the way off and laid down next to me. "Shush, lover. You'll alert your warrior and he will come and interrupt us."

I shook my head. "No, Kalona. We can't do this. This isn't the way it is supposed to be!" While I was talking, Kalona was taking my pants off. It wasn't hard because I had on some maternity pants. I tried to fight him as I talked, but he was way stronger than I was. He got them off anyways.

He rolled on top of me, careful not to squish my belly, and kissed me yet again. Suddenly, time stopped. There was a brief flash of white and I felt as if I'd been electrocuted. Even though I shouldn't have known what was happening, I did. And all the while I was wondering why this kept happening to me. It was as if there was some force out there that was determined to make me miserable.

The bond between Kalona and I was restored.

I couldn't help the sudden yearning for him that went through my body. I knew it was wrong, but I just couldn't help it. There were tears flowing from my eyes and I couldn't speak. Even though I was so upset on the outside, on the inside I wanted nothing more than Kalona.

"Are you ready?" Kalona whispered to me.

Inside my head, a voice yelled, "NO! NO! STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!"

I nodded, unable to do what the voice was telling me to. Kalona hadn't taken my underwear off, and he really didn't need to. He just moved the part that was covering, well, you know what, to the side. Before I could even take another breath, Kalona was inside me.

When Kalona and I had made love in dreams it was fantastic. More than fantastic, really. Amazing, and wonderful, and stupendous, all in one. But this… This was something so much better than that. We'd never had sex outside of a dream after the time I'd trapped him, and, then, we didn't get the chance to finish what we started.

I couldn't help that I dug my fingernails into his back, wanting him more and more, even though I already had him. We were always careful of my stomach, although it was a little hard. Eventually, Kalona flipped us over so that I was on top. It didn't take long after that for us to finish because we had both wanted the other so much.

Kalona didn't give me time to catch my breath afterwards. He put his pants on, grabbed my pants, picked me up, and ran out the room. I couldn't ask him where we were going because I couldn't find my voice. In fact, I couldn't really move a muscle. This time, it seemed that there was a spell put on me specifically, to keep me from resisting Kalona.

Which is why I felt so bad when I saw Stark running after us towards the front door of the depot, screaming my name. I couldn't try to fight Kalona, or even tell Stark how sorry I was. I was just…frozen. I did, however, feel a tear slip out of my eye, and I saw Stark when he saw that tear. He stopped, shook his head, and then made…this face. A face that said he would come after me no matter what.

The last thing I saw before I passed out was Kalona's wings, slowly turning back to black from top to bottom.

**Okay, I need help, like I said. Here is the question I want all of you to answer in a review, if you don't mind: What team are you? Are you team Zalona or team…uh, Stoey(LMAO! Does anyone know what the real relationship name for Zoey and Stark is?). Let me know because whichever team gets the most votes/reviews is how the story is going to end up. I am so conflicted as to who Zoey is going to be with because a lot of you want her to be with Kalona when the real books are obviously not going that direction. Lol. So let me know! =]**


	15. Stark&Zoey

**It has been a really long time since I've updated and I am really sorry about that. I have been juggling so many things lately and it makes it really hard to find time to write for all of my stories. But I am continuing writing this story, even if it's a little slow =] I really hope you like it!**

_**Stark**_

Stark was running as fast as he could back down into the tunnels. Sweat was starting to bead on his forehead, not because he was exerting a lot of energy - although he was - but because he was freaking out on the inside. He had tried so, so hard to protect Zoey, but with every second that went by, he found himself doubting his abilities. Yes, a lot had happened to Zoey while he'd been her guardian. She'd had her soul shattered, brought back, lost friends, lost family… But he had always been there to protect and comfort her. It seemed like he couldn't even comfort her anymore.

But he wouldn't give up. No matter what, he would never, ever give up on Zoey. He loved her more than he loved life. No, that's not right. She _was _his life. If anything happened to her, he knew that he would soon lose his life afterward. If he didn't die avenging her death, then he would die of heartbreak. Because she was his one, his only, his everything.

Stark went to wipe away a drip of sweat going down his face, but realized once his hand was on his cheek that it wasn't sweat. It was a tear. He stopped, standing absolutely still as he looked at the tear on his hand.

"No." he whispered. "I will not cry. I will not break down. I am a warrior. More importantly, I am a High Priestess' warrior. Nothing can defeat me while I am protecting her. Nothing."

He took a deep breath, trying to get control of himself. He knew that every second counted, and the more time he spent here trying to get himself under control, the further that _monster _was taking Zoey. After a moment, Stark felt his face harden into his warrior mask.

He made it to Darius in less than thirty seconds. Darius had Aphrodite in his arms. She was obviously having a vision.

"No!" Aphrodite shrieked, sounding as if her very life force came out with the word. She crumpled to the ground.

As Darius bent over to pick her up, Stark took two steps to cross the distance between them and put his hand on Darius's arm. "We don't have time. Get Stevie Rae to help her. Zoey's in trouble."

Darius shook off Stark's arm, his eyes narrowing at Stark. His entire demeanor looked deadly. Stark realized that he had never seen this look from Darius - or, at least, not directed toward him. "_You _are Zoey's warrior. _I _am Aphrodite's, and I will take care of my Priestess before I take care of anyone else's. _Do not _try to come between us again."

For the first time, Stark thought that Darius would actually hurt him. It seemed like everything was exploding around him. First Zoey gets taken by Kalona, then Aphrodite collapsing, and now Darius is making death threats. The world was turning upside down.

"I apologize. But, Darius, please hear me out. Zoey is in trouble and I need your help." Stark pleaded.

Darius gave one small nod before picking Aphrodite up and carrying her in the nearest bedroom. It happened to be Kramisha's, who stood up as they walked in. "What's up with her?"

"She had a vision." Darius explained. "May I lay her here for a moment while I talk to Stark?" When Kramisha nodded, Darius walked over to the bed and laid Aphrodite down, planting a kiss on her forehead as he did. After looking at her for a long moment - almost killing Stark with impatience - he turned around and walked out the door without even glancing at Stark.

"What's happened to Zoey?" Darius asked after Stark stepped out into the hall after him.

"Kalona took Zoey." Darius gasped when Stark said this, but Stark ignored it and kept explaining. "I don't know exactly what happened. I just know that I went into the depot building to check on Zoey - she'd been up there making a call to her grandma and had been up there a while - and when I got there, Kalona had Zoey in his arms and was taking her off. He was too fast for me."

Darius narrowed his eyes at Stark before patting his shoulder. "We will get her back."

"How?" Stark yelled. All the anger and frustration built up inside him came out. Not only was he angry that that damn Kalona wouldn't leave him and Zoey alone, but also at the fact that he hadn't been there to keep Kalona from ever getting near her. "It's not like we can go everywhere Kalona can! And how do we even know where to start searching?"

Darius waited a few moments after Stark had finished to begin speaking. "We will go to Thanatos. Get ready to go. She will know what to do."

**[BREAK: ZOEY'S POV]**

I woke up with a headache. My head felt like it was three times heavier than it normally was and my ears were stopped up. That was what I hated about taking naps. Ever since I was thirteen, I would wake up from a nap automatically going into my bathroom to grab a Q-tip. It really sucked when I was back in school and had to study all night, then later - when I had taken the test and gone home after school - I wouldn't be able to take a nap for fear of feeling like crap when I woke up.

This time was a little different, though. I wasn't laying in a bed, feeling stuffy and over-heated. I looked around, expecting to see that I had passed out somewhere weird after defeating something even weirder, but was surprised to find that I was laying in what looked like a tree house.

"How did you sleep, lover?"

I sat up straight at the sound of Kalona's voice. I wasn't afraid of him, like I knew I should be. Instead, I found myself edging near him, wanting to be as close as possible to him as I could be. His arms opened up automatically and I climbed in them. "How did we get here?"

"I flew us here. You don't remember?" he asked.

I shook my head before actually thinking about it. Suddenly, it was like a short film was playing before my eyes, and I saw everything that had happened within the past- Wait. I had no idea how much time had gone by since Kalona stole me away. "What time is it? What _day _is it?"

Kalona stroked my hair as he looked into my eyes. "It's only been two hours since we left. Dawn is in three hours."

At that moment, I wanted to kiss him so badly I could barely resist the temptation. But just as I was making the conscious decision to move forward and plant my lips on his, I took in Kalona's entire appearance. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but he did have on some khaki shorts. I could tell by the way nothing was digging into my back that he wasn't wearing any shoes. But none of that really surprised me. What made my breath catch was the fact that his wings were back to the color I had originally seen them: black.

I reached forward, barely running my fingers along his wings. Even if they weren't white, they were still the most beautiful wings I had ever seen. Maybe it was the fact that they were so big; maybe it was that they were attached to Kalona and I loved him. Whatever it was, I was hypnotized by the feel of them.

"Aren't you going to ask me how they changed color?" Kalona asked.

I cocked my head to the side, flirting with him without even trying. "How did - " My words ran out as I realized that I already knew the answer to that question. I didn't know it was possible, but Kalona had somehow broken out of Nyx's Kingdom to come to me. I also didn't know why he would want to because the spell had been broken. For the first time since Stark and I had made love and broken the spell, I thought about how it would affect Kalona. He had never really gotten over me.

I stood up, taking several steps away from him. "Why would you do something like that?" I whispered. Kalona's mouth opened to answer, but I put my hand up in a signal for him to stop. "No! Don't say anything. I don't want to hear it. How could you do something like that? Why would you come down here and lose Nyx's grace just for me?"

Kalona's smile was so sad that I wanted to cry, but I knew that I had to keep a hold on myself. I wouldn't cry in front of him; it would just show him how much power he had over me. "Zoey… I couldn't just let you slip away from me. _I love you_. There is nothing that would ever change my mind about you. Haven't you realized yet that we are meant to be? I was never in love with the A-ya part of your soul. I was in love with _you_."

Although his words made me so happy I could jump up and down, I didn't give in. He may love me, but that didn't give him an excuse to run out on Nyx. There was no way I could be with someone who was evil, right? And that wasn't even my main concern. It felt strange to be mad at Kalona for turning away from Nyx. I knew it was because I thought that it was better if he was in Nyx's good graces than if he were with me, but some part of my brain couldn't make sense of it. Didn't people normally give up what they wanted for what they knew was right for someone else when they loved them? But I did love Kalona. Didn't I? Yes. And yet, there was still a part of me screaming no.

"You shouldn't have left." Kalona's frown was now turning into true pain, but I tried not to pay attention to it. "This isn't right. I know that it's hard, but you should have done what's best for you. You should've stayed in Nyx's Kingdom and married A-ya. You should have let me stay here and be with Stark and raise our child. We would have been better off."

Somewhere in my speech, Kalona looked down and fiddled with his fingers. He looked like a little boy, and I would've thought that that was cute if it weren't for our situation. I stood there, watching him play with his fingers, for what seemed like forever. I was just about to start talking again, when his wings beat once and he was suddenly on his feet.

Before I could say or do anything, I was in his arms. Instead of his normal, soft touch, his grips on my arms were firm. He wasn't hurting me, but he also wasn't in a loving mood. "Zoey, listen to me." His voice was so commanding that I looked up into his eyes. "I came back to earth because I couldn't stand the thought of living without you. What would be the point of being in Nyx's Kingdom if I wasn't happy? The whole point of life is to try and be the happiest you can. To find the one person who makes you the happiest and will be there for you.

"I felt just the smallest glimmer of that with A-ya. We spent centuries together, locked in the earth together. But I didn't realize until you and A-ya were separated that I never felt love with A-ya. I felt _lust_. I never really knew what love felt like until you and I got together." He paused, taking a deep breath. I was going to say something, but he put his fingers over my lips.

"I know you think that the best thing for me is to be in Nyx's land with A-ya. That I would be choosing light over darkness if I were still there. But I want you to know something: the color of my wings doesn't show what my heart feels. Just because my wings are black, doesn't mean that I have gone back to darkness. It just means that I am no longer with Nyx. Because being with her isn't the best thing for me. Being with _you_ is. And that is why I am pledging to you." he ended.

My mind was thinking so many things at once that it took me a few moments to form a sentence. "What are you pledging?" I whispered, hoping that he wasn't talking about becoming my warrior. I already had one warrior, and that was enough. Start could feel my emotions, and if that wasn't weird enough, he could also read my mind sometimes. On top of that, I didn't really know what would happen if a Priestess had more than one warrior pledging themselves this way. I knew that there were a lot of warriors, but I didn't know if each one of them pledged exactly like this. It wouldn't make sense that they all would because then they would all feel her emotions. No, it couldn't be that way. So, then, would it cancel the previous pledge out? If so, that wasn't what I wanted at all.

But Kalona put that worry out of my mind and a new one in when he whispered, "To stand by you, my new Goddess."

**[BREAK: STARK'S POV]**

Thanatos wasn't happy at the fact that their group had kept Zoey's pregnancy from her, but that was to be expected. Stark could only thank the Goddess that Neferet wasn't the High Priestess anymore. Once they had explained everything to her, Thanatos sat in silence as she thought about what they should do. Just when it seemed like she had thought of something and was going to speak her thoughts, she would sit back in her chair and squint, as if she was thinking really hard.

Finally, after what seemed like hours - although it was only about ten minutes - she said, "Stark, there is something I think we should try. Don't be alarmed if it doesn't work. It is the only thing I can think of, though, and we must pray that it does work. Otherwise, the only chance of finding Zoey is if Kalona somehow brings her back for something."

"What do you mean, 'don't be alarmed if it doesn't work'?" Stark asked, feeling irritated that there always seemed to be something in the way of their only hope.

Thanatos narrowed her eyes at Stark, clearly not liking the tone that he had used. But instead of scolding him like Neferet would have, she simply sighed. "Stark, I realize that you are under a lot of stress, but you must take deep breaths and calm yourself if you want this to work. There have been a few cases of warriors being able to purposefully make their way into their Priestess's mind. This is something that is usually frowned upon, but it is acceptable in certain dire situations.

"What I want you to be warned about, though, is the fact that it may not work. As I said, only a few warriors have been able to pull this off, and - even then - they had been with their Priestesses for a long, long time. I only mention this technique because it is an emergency and…" Thanatos trailed off, clearly trying to read Stark's face.

Stark was tempted to shout at her, try to make her spit out what she was going to say. But, at the last moment, he remembered what she had said about trying to keep calm. He thought that this may be a test, so he stopped, took a deep breath, and asked, "You were saying?"

As soon as Stark saw the smile on Thanatos's face, he knew that it had been a test and that he had passed. "And you and Zoey share a bond that I have never seen before. I guess it shouldn't surprise me since Zoey is such a talented young fledgling. Ah, what a great vampyre she will make."

With that, Thanatos got up, waving Stark and Darius along with her. Earlier, they had waited just long enough for Aphrodite to wake up to tell her that they were going to the House of Night. She had wanted to come with them, but Darius told her that he didn't think that was best. He said that his job was to protect her and that he couldn't do that if she came with them. She would be much safer in the tunnels.

They followed Thanatos to the library, and from there, they went to the back room. Inside lay all sorts of supplies; from pencils and paper, to candles and herbs. She plucked a couple of herbs, a white candle, and some matches before turning back to Stark and Darius. "We don't have time to talk through the ceremony, so I am just going to walk you through it. It isn't very hard, so don't worry. Let's just hope it works."

**[BREAK: ZOEY'S POV]**

"I-I can't be your Goddess. I'm _not _a Goddess! Kalona, think about what you are saying." I shrieked, freaking out on the inside.

He bent down onto one knee, clearly trying to prove his point. "I have. Zoey, think about it. You are so powerful, and just as a fledgling. Think about what you will become once you have fully changed! I wouldn't feel right worshiping a woman who doesn't love me. You are my lady, and therefore the only woman whom I should ever worship. I will not disrespect Nyx; I will acknowledge her and respect her, but I will not worship her. She will understand."

"Don't you see that she doesn't understand? Your wings are black! No matter what you try to tell me, Kalona, I know that they aren't that way because you are on earth. They represent…well, _you_." I replied.

Kalona got up off one knee and walked to the small window in the tree house. He stood there, not saying a word, not looking at me. I felt horrible, but at the same time, I knew that I was right. And I didn't want to be the one to cause Kalona to have his beautiful white wings back, and then have them stripped away weeks later…

I sat on the bed, not trusting my legs to keep my up anymore. Then I realized that there was a bed in the tree house! I took that moment to look around, trying to forget about my current situation.

It was a really small room, made out of two-by-fours and vines. The room was bare except for the bed in one corner and a couple of cardboard boxes with food and water in them. There was a hole in the floor on the opposite side of the room than the bed, but I really hoped it wasn't for what I thought it was. No way would I be…doing deeds in public like that.

"You don't want me." Kalona whispered so low that I almost didn't catch it.

"I didn't say that!" I whispered back, not wanting to be too loud in the silence. "You know that I do want you. If I didn't, I would be fighting you right now - "

Out of nowhere, Kalona turned around and took two strides toward me. There were tears flowing down his face, but he didn't look sad. He looked more angry than upset. "You _are _fighting me right now!"

I was about to argue that I would be fighting with him over staying here, not fighting with him over pledging to worship me as his Goddess, when something stopped everything around me. Kalona completely disappeared from my mind as I stood there, stock still. I felt as if I was paralyzed, but I knew that I could move at any moment. My breathing hitched, and I felt my eyes starting to water.

"Zoey?" I was vaguely aware of Kalona's worried voice, only a foot away from me now.

Finally, I inhaled, and was able to move again. Slowly, I looked down, my hands automatically coming to my stomach. I felt the smile creep up on my lips without me even meaning to. I let out some sort of sound, not sure what emotion it conveyed. I looked back up at Kalona, who looked blurry through the water in my eyes.

For a moment, Kalona seemed confused, but then he looked down to my stomach and then back up to my face. I could tell the moment it dawned on him. "Oh, Zoey…" he whispered, before closing the space between us and putting one of his hands on my stomach. The other hand went behind me to rest on the small of my back.

"I felt her." I whispered. "_I felt her_."

"Our daughter." Kalona said, bending down to kiss my stomach. "Are you getting ready to come out into the world, little one?"

At her father's words, my little girl rustled around inside me again. This entire time I had been so excited to have her, and had already loved her. But that moment, when she moved, I felt the full impact of how much I loved her. Until then, she had just been an idea, even though that sounds bad. But she was a baby now, a real person.

Kalona let out a laugh, obviously feeling her move, too. Then he got up and kissed me, picking me up and twirling me around as he did. I don't know how long we twirled, and kissed, and laughed, but I do know that it was one of the most exciting moments of my life.

**[BREAK: STARK'S POV]**

Thanatos had all the herbs put together in a little bowl in front of Stark. She made him sit down in front of it while she lit what had to be sage and smudged the room with it. She was chanting something, but Stark couldn't seem to get a grasp on what she was saying. He felt as if he were falling asleep, but completely awake at the same time. It didn't really make any sense to him, but he knew that anything was possible.

Stark felt a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't know whose it was. It seemed as if he couldn't open his eyes. But he didn't need his sight to know who it was, because she spoke to him in a very soft voice. "Stark, I want you to visualize Zoey. I want you to picture what it felt like every time you would feel an emotion coming from her. Picture every time you caught words that she had been thinking. Do not think about anything but Zoey."

He didn't find this very hard to do. In fact, Zoey was all he had been thinking about since Kalona had taken her off. No, before that. Zoey had been everything he had been thinking about pretty much since the day he met her. It was really hard to forget a girl like her.

Stark barely heard the words, "Okay, Darius, I need you to…" from Thanatos before he was no longer in the room with them. Instead, he was inside Zoey's mind. He could see everything she was seeing, although it was hard to hear what she and…_Kalona _were talking about. It seemed like he could hear more and more as time went along.

"I know you think the best thing for me is to be in Nyx's land with A-ya." Kalona said. He was making some sort of speech to Zoey.

_Yes! _Stark thought. _Zoey doesn't want to stay there with him! She wants him to go back where he came from._

"…being with her isn't the best thing for me. Being with _you_ is. And that is why I am pledging to you."

_What? He can't pledge to her! I already have… Joke's on you, dude. You're too late. Besides, Zoey would never accept your pledge._

"What are you pledging?" Zoey whispered.

"To stand by you, my new Goddess."

Stark literally felt like his heart was going to stop beating. What in the hell was this guy talking about? Stark got that he had fallen - once again, apparently - from the Goddess's graces, but he couldn't just declare Zoey a Goddess and then pledge himself to her. If that was possible, Stark would have done it a long time ago. Of course, he would still worship Nyx, but he would also stay with Zoey.

Zoey denied to be his Goddess then, but Kalona got down on one knee and made a big speech about how it would all be alright. Of course, Zoey countered that it wouldn't be alright with examples of why it wouldn't be alright. Stark didn't feel bad at all until he heard Kalona say, "You don't want me."

Stark knew that feeling all too well. There had been times when he thought Zoey didn't want him. These past couple of weeks had been like that for him. There were so many times when he would kiss Zoey, or walk in while she was sleeping, and she would either pull back from him or whisper Kalona's name in her sleep. He had been so afraid that he would lose her, but at the last moment he got her back.

"I didn't say that!" Zoey said.

Stark thought he heard glass breaking, but then decided it was his heart. So he hadn't just been being paranoid lately. Zoey really did want Kalona, she was just settling for Stark. He wanted to pull out of her mind right then, but he wasn't able to. Something was holding him here.

"You know that I do want you. If I didn't, I would be fighting you right now - "

Kalona turned around and strode toward Zoey. He looked just like Stark felt; hurt, but angry. "You _are _fighting me right now!"

Zoey was going to counter him, but then something happened. Stark felt the weirdest sensation. At first, he thought that maybe his own body was trying to pull his mind out of Zoey's, or that maybe he was hungry or something. But when Zoey didn't speak, Stark knew that something had happened with her. Did she sense him in her mind? Would she be mad and try to push him out? Even though Stark knew that it would be better if she did, he couldn't help hoping that she wouldn't be able to. Yes, he was heartbroken that she wanted to be with Kalona, but that didn't stop him from loving her.

Kalona was saying something, but because Zoey was tuning him out, Stark couldn't hear him. Finally, Zoey whispered, "I felt her."

Stark was confused until he figured out that she had been talking about the baby. Suddenly, a dangerous, burning flame started in him, one that wouldn't go out no matter what. He knew that it was mostly jealousy - because he could never have a child with Zoey, therefore would never feel that joy with her like Kalona can - but it was also something else. A determination to get Zoey no matter what the price was.

Stark took in everything he could. The tree house, the bed, the boxes, the hole, the window - The window! That was it! Stark made sure to try and remember everything he could see outside the window from this point. It looked like there were some hills and a lot of trees. There was a look about it that stirred something in Stark's memory, but he couldn't pay attention to it now. Not when the baby first moved.

Kalona was now holding Zoey's stomach. He said something, but Stark didn't hear it. He then jumped up and started making out with Stark's girlfriend.

Stark felt the flame grow higher, and suddenly he was back in the room with Thanatos and Darius. Darius was watching outside the door and Thanatos was watching Stark.

"Did you find her?" Thanatos asked.

Stark realized that he knew exactly where she was. "Yeah. And I'm going to go get her."

Darius heard them speaking and turned around. "Stark, it is almost dawn. There's only two more hours until the sun rises, and then you will fry. The sun will bother me but it will not burn me. Let me go."

Thanatos nodded. "Yes, Stark. You should go back to the tunnels and get some rest. Then, if Darius somehow fails, you will be well rested for tomorrow."

"No." Stark replied, surprising the both of them. "I'm going now. I _have _to get Zoey as soon as possible. It's my job. I don't care if I lose my life trying to save hers."

And then Stark got up and ran out before either one of them could react.

**O.o Leave me some reviews and let me know what you think! Also, if you would like to see a different character's POV, let me know. I will try my best to write their POV. Thanks!**


	16. Thanatos&Zoey

**I am so so so sorry that it has taken me so long to update! Let me explain: I've been super…unlucky, I guess, lately. I used to get migraines from the time I was eight until I was fourteen. I started getting them again and when I do I can't really move without getting sick. So…that hasn't been very fun. On top of that, I got a weird infection on my eye and it swelled up like a balloon. If that isn't bad enough, I keep getting cold sores. I've always had cold sores ever since I was little, but they have never been this bad. I have one right now, actually, but it's getting better. I've got some new medicine I'm trying so hopefully they'll stay away. Now, I have one wisdom tooth that keeps getting infected, and my dentist told me that it would probably be smart to just go get them all taken out. Fun. Plus, I have been getting things ready for college and trying to find a job. So I haven't been writing very much lately. Sorry about that. I hope you like this chapter! **

_**Thanatos**_

"Warrior, you cannot let him go alone. He will die trying to save her. Convince him that it is better if he waits until tomorrow." Thanatos ordered Darius.

Darius looked at her for a long moment, obviously trying to decide whether to go with what he wanted to do or what his High Priestess ordered him to. "I…" He looked down at the ground and stayed silent. Finally, he muttered, "I cannot, Priestess. I am truly sorry, but I cannot. I know how it feels to have the one you are pledged to in danger, and it is…terrifying. I would not wish that feeling on anyone. Stark must go, even if it kills him."

Thanatos opened her mouth to order him, once again, to go after Stark. She would not have any fledglings, red or blue, dying while she was in power. But, before she could speak, Darius continued, "I understand what position you might be in. Believe me, I do not want Stark to die, but if he is determined to get Zoey tonight there is nothing I can do to stop him."

"Try." Thanatos ordered. "You must try. If you do not, you will go before the Council and they will choose your fate. I will not say anything to them if you try, but you cannot let him go without trying anything at all. Go, warrior. _Now_."

Thanatos could tell that Darius did not like her decision, but he still saluted her and ran out the door after Stark. She stood there a few more moments, hoping that Darius wouldn't come back to convince her to let Stark go. Once she was sure that Darius wouldn't come back, she turned and went right back to the supply closet.

Quickly, she grabbed some rosemary, basil, yew tree seeds, and lavender. She also wanted to get some oakmoss, but the House of Night did not contain any. Thanatos grabbed a black velvet drawstring bag and put the herbs and seeds in it. She ran back to the room Stark had used to track Zoey down and cleaned up the candles and bowl with herbs.

Thanatos grabbed three black candles and lit them in a triangle on the floor. Using a new bowl, Thanatos put the bag in the bowl and sat in front of it.

She knew that there was only one solution to all of this. After Darius and Stark brought what had been going on to her attention, she had been thinking of ways to fix everything. Nyx gave Zoey her unnatural powers because Zoey was a part of the greater plan. If Zoey were to stay with Kalona, that plan would be messed up. Of course, it was hard to tell if Thanatos should interfere with what had happened because Nyx was also the one who had gotten Zoey in this situation in the first place. When Stark ran out after Zoey without even thinking of himself, Thanatos knew what she had to do.

Zoey had unusual powers, but so did Thanatos. There were a few things about herself that Thanatos never let anyone know. One of those things was that having an affinity for death allowed her to have temporary powers, but only when she was using her affinity. There was only one spell that came to mind, one that seemed the safest to Thanatos.

"_Fire…"_

As soon as the word slipped from her lips, the bag in the bowl burst into flames.

"_And thunder…"_

Thanatos heard and felt the deep rumble from the sky, knowing that death was listening to her.

"_Rise together and become one."_

Before her eyes, the fire from the bowl leapt up out of the bowl and formed what looked like a cloud of flames. It did not catch onto anything, it simply rolled around itself in the air.

"_Banish this evil."_

A dark fog materialized, slipping underneath the cloud of fire. It looked exactly like the sky on a rainy day. The only difference was that it looked like the sky was raining fire instead of water. Thanatos knew death when she saw it, and this fog was death's way of telling her that it would do her bidding. Sometimes death wouldn't do what she wanted when it didn't agree with her, and she let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the fog.

"_For all the harm it has done."_

The fire and fog now twirled around each other. Thanatos watched the two dance to the music of thunder, knowing what would happen next. If death listened to her, the fire and fog would simply disappear, going to the place that she wanted it to go in the blink of an eye, and the thunder would just stop. If death decided that this wasn't the way things were meant to be, the fire would fall back into the bowl before going out, the fog would caress her for a moment - letting her know that it wasn't turning its back on her - and the thunder would end with a single strike of lightening.

Thanatos was surprised to find that she was holding her breath. She didn't know if she should keep it held until the spell decided what it would do, or if she should just go ahead and take a breath. After all, it didn't really matter if she held her breath or not. The spell would do what it wanted to. Thanatos decided there was no use in holding her breath, so she let it out. As soon as she did, everything went silent as the room went dark.

The corners of her mouth turned up into a smile as Thanatos thanked Nyx. If everything went according to plan, things would go back to their natural order.

But - as Zoey would have said to Thanatos - things don't always go according to plan…

**[BREAK; ZOEY'S POV]**

I was sleeping pretty well considering everything that had happened within the past twenty-four hours. Right before dawn came around, Kalona had drawn a steel shutter for the window and the door on the bottom of the tree house. I had asked him what people who hiked would think about there being a tree house with steel shutters in the middle of a park, but he assured me that the other side of the shutters were camouflaged.

I was dreaming about everything that had happened. Sometimes that happened to me, and most of the time I didn't like it. When I usually dreamed about something that had happened in the night, it was because it was something bad. Yesterday had been pretty bad, but it wasn't one of the worst nights for me, so I wasn't too bothered by dreaming about it.

But something was interrupting my sleep. I could feel myself waking up, but I kept trying to fight it. This went on for about twenty minutes, and just when I was about to give up and wake up, I was able to drift off again. Just as I started to dream about beautiful, lush grass and a giant tree that faced the ocean, a horrible pain wrenched me awake.

I was scared. No, not just scared, terrified. A loud scream came from me without me even realizing it. Kalona automatically woke up and started asking me what was wrong.

"Zoey? Zoey, what's wrong?" he screamed, but I wasn't focusing on him.

My stomach felt like it was being ripped apart from the inside. My hands went around it, and I became even more afraid when I felt my poor, innocent little girl moving around frantically inside me. Something was happening to her.

"Hospital!" I screamed through the pain. "Take me to the hospital!"

Kalona's voice seemed so far away when he responded. "We can't! I'll…I'll…"

Tears were running down my face. I could feel my daughter's terror mixed in with my own. I felt so powerless even though I had enough power to take down a small army. "Then take me to Thanatos! Our daughter is dying, Kalona."

That seemed to get through to him. He hopped out of bed and started getting dressed. "I'll do whatever it takes to get you and our baby healthy again."

I pulled the sheet and cover off of me, finding something more horrible. I started crying and wailing hysterically. This couldn't be happening. There was a pool of blood soaked into the sheets underneath me. It was huge, almost reaching where Kalona had been just a few minutes ago. Something broke inside of me then. I reached down to clasp my belly again, this time feeling absolutely nothing from inside of it. She was no longer moving, my little girl.

My head sank back down onto the pillow I had been sleeping on. Tears were rolling down my face, but I didn't try to wipe them away. I felt as if my life was over, that I would just lay here until I died. But just as I thought that, something else popped into my mind.

My head came back up so that I could look at my stomach. Then, I called out, "Air, I call on you to help me save my child. Blow away the demons and problems that are causing her death. Fire, I call on you to help me save my child. Keep her from fading into the darkness and bring her back to the light of life. Water, I call on you to help me save my child. Nourish and cleanse her body. Earth, I call on you to help me save my child. Help her to one day feel you underneath her feet. Spirit -"

At this part, my voice gave out. I started to cry hard again, feeling as if nothing would help, not even calling on the elements. Suddenly, I felt a hand lay on my belly. I opened my eyes to see Kalona at the end of the bed with his arm reached out to touch our daughter through me. He didn't even mind that he was sitting in a pool of blood.

"Keep going." he whispered. He then turned his attention back to my stomach, singing what sounded like a Cherokee lullaby in hushed tones.

As he sang, I continued, "Spirit, I call on you to help me save my child. Please, please don't leave her. Stay with her and make her strong. Give her the strength to live. Please. I'm begging you, don't let her die."

After the words had left my lips, a sudden breeze lifted my shirt, revealing my bulging stomach. I felt a warmth on the skin of my belly, not from the outside, but from the inside. Then I felt a cooling from inside my stomach and witnessed the blood on my legs washing away. I smelled fresh-cut grass and my stomach started to tingle as if it had all the nutrients necessary to be healthy. But the best thing of all was when I felt Spirit come into me, making me lightheaded before making its way down to my tummy.

Kalona had been singing the entire time, but he stopped when this happened. He and I both saw the glow that came from inside my stomach, both saw the outline of our child inside me. I put my hand on my stomach right next to Kalona's, hoping that this would work. I didn't know what I was waiting for, I just knew that I was waiting for something.

"Do you think it worked?" I asked when nothing happened.

Kalona took his eyes off my stomach for only a moment to say, "I'm not sure. But I hope it did. Goddess, I pray it did."

It felt like every minute that went by was an eternity. Finally, Kalona looked at me and gave the slightest shake of his head.

More tears fell as I rubbed my bulging belly. "Oh, my little girl, I am so, so sorry. I… I can't believe this happened. I don't know why it happened, but I do know one thing. I love you, whether you're here or not. I love you more than anything in the world, and I want you to know that no matter where you are. I'm your mother, and one day we will be together again. I swear I'll make you happy then."

Kalona crawled into the bed next to me and wrapped one arm around me. He put the other hand on my stomach, shedding tears as he did. After a long couple of minutes, he whispered, "And I love you, too, daughter. Even though your mother and I have not officially met you yet, we will miss you. Be safe in your next life, wherever that might be."

I don't know how long I cried in Kalona's arms after that. It could've been five minutes, it could've been five hours. I really didn't care. All I knew was that I didn't want to be alive anymore. I didn't want to live if my darling little baby couldn't live. Kalona cried, too, just not as hysterically as me. I could tell that he was trying to keep it together for me. I knew that as soon as I was asleep, he would fly off to mourn by himself. That was good because I wanted to mourn by myself, too.

I looked up into Kalona's face, wondering if I would lose my love for him now that we didn't share a child together.

"What is it, Zoey? You look like you have something to tell me." Kalona whispered, holding my face in the hand that wasn't on my stomach.

I shook my head. There was no use in breaking up with him right now. Even if I did love him, I would never be able to be with him again without thinking about the baby. But I couldn't tell him that now. Not when we'd just gone through this huge loss. And - being selfish at the moment - I didn't want to be alone.

Kalona opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped before anything came out. His eyes went wide and he looked to my stomach.

"What?" I whispered frantically. "What is it?"

"Oh, Zoeybird…" Kalona whispered before grabbing my hand and putting it where his had been on my stomach a moment before.

I sat there, hoping that I would feel something, but nothing happened. "Kalona, nothing is happening. We've just gone through something huge. You were probably just imagin - " I was cut off in the middle of a word by the kick that came from inside my belly.

"You see? She's alive!" Kalona's face couldn't have been happier looking.

Tears spilled down my face as I rubbed my stomach. So many things were running through my head that I couldn't even think of what to say. I finally settled for just crying and rubbing my stomach some more.

"Zoey? What is wrong? I thought that you wanted this." Kalona looked worried.

I nodded frantically. "Yes. Yes, this is what I want. Nothing is wrong. I just… I'm just so happy. And relieved." I stopped to breath for a minute and then yelled, "She's alive! Oh, Goddess, she's alive!"

Kalona and I then kissed and kissed until we finally had to get up to change clothes and bedding. Thank Goddess, Kalona remembered to grab some of my clothes from the House of Night before coming to get me from the depot. I didn't know how he got in to get them, but I really didn't care at the moment. I called on water to wash the rest of the blood from both Kalona and me before we got redressed.

We cuddled together after that, talking to our daughter between long kisses. We then went back to sleep, agreeing that we would go back to the depot when we woke up. I would just have to tell Stark that I couldn't be with him anymore. We had to be around other people so that I could get the right nutrients and medical help for the baby. It would be hard, but it was something we had to do.

"Goodnight, daughter." Kalona whispered at my belly.

With a smile, I added, "Yes. Goodnight, sweet girl."

Right before I fell asleep, I felt her kick me again. I imagined she was trying to say, "Goodnight, mommy and daddy. Thank you for saving my life, mommy, and for the lullaby, daddy. I love you."

She probably didn't even know I saved her life or that her daddy sang her a lullaby, but I can imagine, right? _Right_?

**[BREAK; THANATOS'S POV]**

Thanatos had just gone to her office to get ready for the school day(it was really a school _night_), when the new assistant secretary came in. Her name was Pandora, a name she had picked for herself from The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. Thanatos only knew this because Pandora had a habit of following Thanatos around, trying to be her best friend. Pandora had just completed the change to a vampyre a month ago. She had come from a House of Night in Europe to the Tulsa House of Night because she wanted to see the United States. The only job they had available at the Tulsa House of Night was an assistant secretary and Pandora was happy to take the job. They couldn't give her the secretary job yet because the current secretary hadn't retired yet.

Pandora gave Thanatos a salute and Thanatos told her to have a seat.

"I can't right now, Priestess, but thank you. There is a warrior here to see you and I was sent to ask you if it was okay." Pandora informed her.

Thanatos wondered if it was Darius or Stark and voiced her wonderings. "Who might that be, Pandora?"

Pandora looked a little shy as she moved from foot to foot. "Well… I'm just getting started at this and… I'm so sorry, Priestess, but I can't remember the warrior's name." Thanatos raised her eyebrows, wondering how someone could forget the name of someone so fast. Just as she was about to ask Pandora this, Pandora continued. "No, that's a lie. I'm sorry I lied, I'm just so nervous about this new job and I don't want to lose it. I forgot to get the warrior's name. Do you want me to go back to the office and ask his name, or should I just send him in?"

"You never send someone into a High Priestess's office without asking who they are and making sure they are who they say they are. Go find out who it is and then come back to me." Thanatos ordered. Pandora's cheeks were red. In fact, her entire face was red, going down her neck. "Do not be so hard on yourself, Pandora. You are still young and still learning the ways of your job. I understand that you did not know that this was how things are done, but you will get it next time."

Pandora saluted Thanatos again, something that she didn't need to do. "Yes, Priestess." Pandora said before scurrying out. Thanatos wrote a note down for herself, reminding her to talk to Pandora about her duties.

Thanatos was getting ready to talk to every warrior that had been on duty last night. There had been a breach in the protective barrier she'd put around the school, much like the one Neferet had put on the school previously. Thanatos hadn't paid much attention to it when it happened, thinking that the warriors would take care of it. But no one had come to Thanatos with the intruder this morning(evening). Of course, it might just be one of the fledglings cloaking themselves and sneaking out the trap door in the east wall, but Thanatos didn't think so. It couldn't be a coincidence that the very night Kalona kidnaps Zoey, someone breaches the barrier around the school. No, she was quite sure that it was Kalona, but she didn't know why he would want to come to the House of Night.

Pandora gave a quick rap on the door before walking in. She put her fist over her heart, but Thanatos put a hand up to stop her. "Child, you don't have to do that every time you see me. Do it when you first see me for the day and before you go to bed, if you see me before then. And, please, call me Thanatos when we're in a casual situation. Now, who is it who has come to see me?"

"A warrior named Darius. He says he has some news for you. Would you like me to bring him in?" Pandora replied.

Thanatos nodded and let Pandora go out the door. To Thanatos's surprise, Darius walked in a minute later. The main office was across campus and the only way Darius could've gotten there so fast was if he used his vampiric speed, something warriors only do in emergencies. Thanatos automatically stood up, fearing the worst.

Darius saluted her. "Oh, there's no need to stand, Priestess. Everything is fine. I apologize for not coming to you last night, but I had my hands full."

Thanatos nodded and sat back down, relieved that there was no emergency. "I take it Stark gave you a hard time?"

"Yes." Darius sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of her desk. "I managed to talk Stark into waiting until today to go find Zoey. He was still sleeping when I left the depot. I imagine he will be awake when I get back. I made him promise to wait until I could go with him."

"Stark is a very…spirited warrior. I - " Thanatos was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Pandora walked in and, without even glancing at Darius, said, "Sorry for interrupting, but there is a call for Darius in the office."

"And who is calling, Pandora?" Thanatos asked.

Pandora's cheeks burned red again. "I didn't ask. I'll be right back."

Darius turned in his seat to look at Pandora before she left the room. "Oh, please ask if it is urgent. If it isn't, there is no need to tell me. If it isn't urgent, just tell whoever it is that I will call them when I am out of my meeting with Thanatos. That is why I have my cell phone off."

Thanatos noticed that Pandora fluttered her eyelashes as Darius spoke to her. Pandora gave him a flirty smile before nodding and leaving the room. "I think she fancies you, Darius."

"Oh, I am taken, as you know." Darius replied with a smile. "There is nothing that can tear me away from my Aphrodite."

Thanatos smiled back at Darius. "I see that your relationship with Aphrodite is a very serious one. But, Darius, have you thought about where your relationship will go in the future? Aphrodite is going to grow old and die long before you will."

Darius looked to the ground, his entire face strained. "I have thought about that, yes. But…I can't see myself without her. I will still love her, even when she is old and gray. I will not love again after she is gone."

"You know, warrior, I thought that myself at one time. I, too, was in love with a human. He died a long, long time ago. I never thought I would love again, either, but sometimes love sneaks up on you. I didn't love my second consort as much as I loved my first, but it was still love the second time around." Thanatos told him, remembering the days when she was still just a girl in love.

Pandora came back in that moment. Thanatos took that as a bad sign. "Darius, it is Stark. He says it is urgent."

Darius swung around to look back at Thanatos, his mouth opening as he did so. Thanatos held up a hand and said, "Go. I'll still be here when you're done." Darius nodded and went out the door.

Thanatos went through some of her students' papers as she waited for Darius to come back. After a few minutes of this, she heard what sounded like a breeze. Thanatos looked up to the door, expecting the sound to be coming from the door opening, but there was no one there. That's when she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

The black fog that represented death in her spell the night before was back. It floated right in front of the bookcase to her right. For a moment, it just floated there, as if staring at her. Then it came toward her and wrapped itself around her arm. Thanatos felt all of her muscles relax. That was always how it went. If a spell didn't work for some reason, death would comfort her for a moment before leaving. It was strange, and Thanatos didn't quite understand it, but it happened with a failed spell.

The black fog unwrapped itself and floated up toward the ceiling, dissipating as it did.

The sound of the door opening had Thanatos looking toward the door. Darius was half-inside. "Priestess, Zoey is back at the depot. She just arrived with…Kalona."

"And how is she and the baby?"

"It seems as if everything is fine. But it won't be if we don't get there fast. We need to work out some sort of agreement between the three of them. Stark might try to hurt Kalona if we don't get there soon, and I'm afraid that he might get himself hurt in the process."

Thanatos nodded. "Pandora?" The girl automatically stepped into the door, next to Darius. It didn't seem as if she minded being so close to him. "Cancel all my appointments for today. I have an emergency that I need to take care of. If anyone needs me, tell them to call me on my mobile phone." Pandora nodded and left the room.

"There's not really good signal down in the tunnels." Darius told her.

Thanatos laughed. "That's fine. I don't own a mobile phone. Now, let's go."

**So, what do you think? Let me know in a review please! I will try to update ASAP, but I don't know when that will be. I will try my best to get it up soon. Thank you for reading my story! =]**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm back! I finally got my new computer, so I can write again! I am so excited to write the next chapter of this story. I have missed it so much. I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to get a computer and everything, but I'm a new college student and it's been really hard getting everything together for school and whatnot. Without further ado, the next chapter of A Single Light in an Eternity of Darkness!**

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kalona asked me. It was about the hundredth time he'd asked. I loved him, but his overprotectiveness was starting to get really annoying.

I smiled anyway as I turned toward him. "_Yes_, sweetheart. I am more than ready to do this. It's what's right. I can't just keep leading Stark on, and everyone here has been worried about me from day one. I don't want that. I do feel a little bad because of the nursery they built me, but…I know that we're doing what's best. So, let's just get this over with."

He ran a finger down the side of my face, a sad smile on his face. I guess I had a huge question mark on my face because he took a deep breath and said, "I just want to make sure that this is what you want to do. That's my main concern. I was thinking last night, and –"

"When?" I interrupted.

"After you fell asleep, I tried to sleep, but couldn't. I went out for a fly and realized the reason why I couldn't sleep was that I something was bothering me. The way I've been acting. I realized that…I have been incredibly selfish lately. I just came in and took you, expecting that you wanted me and not Stark. I never stopped to actually ask you. And now I feel horrible because there's no way we can go back if that's what you had wanted." he explained.

I didn't say anything for a moment. I had to have a moment to think. What he was saying was…incredibly sweet, but I couldn't help wondering if maybe he was thinking about all of this because he missed A-ya. What if he had just jumped into this without thinking?

"I have no regrets." I told him. "You're right, though. You were completely selfish when you came in here and took me away from all my friends and Stark. I think the only reason why I haven't brought it up is because the spell was mended and I love you. But the important thing is that you realize your mistake." I took his hand in mine. "I _want _to be with you. Yeah, I love Stark. I will always love him, but…not in the way I love you. I think _this _was Nyx's plan; for you and I to be together."

He gave me a small smile. "I'd just like you to know that, even though you want this, I'm sorry for just taking you away before even asking you what you wanted. I love you, but that's not enough for us to be together. I have to think about you before myself, and I didn't do that. But I swear to you that I will do that from now on, Zoey Redbird."

I was about to tell him that I forgive him and that we should go into the tunnels, but a bright white light suddenly blinded me. I took a couple of involuntary steps back, totally disoriented. I couldn't see a thing other than the white light. I was scared. I didn't know where Kalona was; I didn't know where anything was!

"Kalona!" I yelled, but even I couldn't hear anything. I took another step backwards, and this time my foot met something. I was tipping backwards, levitating in the air for a moment. I closed my eyes, letting out a soundless scream as I felt myself start to fall…

…but a hand wrapped around my wrist before I could.

When I opened my eyes, the white light was gone. Everything was back to normal. Kalona had hold of my wrist and was pulling me toward him. As soon as I was close enough, he wrapped me in his arms. I was shaking from my near-fall, but Kalona stroked my hair and shushed me until I was almost back to normal.

"What was that?" I asked as I pulled away from him. But he didn't need to answer. As soon as I saw him, I realized what had happened.

Kalona's wings were white again!

My mouth fell open out of its own accord. Kalona's eyebrows furrowed. "What was what? And…why are you staring at me like that?"

He didn't even know what happened! "Your wings are white again!" I almost screamed.

Kalona unfurled his wings just a little bit in order to get a better look at them. We both had giant smiles on our faces. At the exact same time, we started laughing and hugged each other.

"Zoey!?"

Kalona and I broke apart, facing the direction Stark was coming from. When he saw us, he stopped dead in his tracks. My heart squeezed at the look on his face. As he came out of the depot, he had a huge smile on his face – probably thinking that I had come back to him. But as soon as he caught sight of us, his smile fell into the saddest expression I'd ever seen on anyone.

Stevie Rae, Aphrodite, and the rest of the gang came out a second later. None of them were happy about what they were seeing either, but it didn't even compare to the look on Stark's face. All of them looked unhappy, but most of them also looked confused.

"Stark…" I stepped forward, hoping I could defuse the situation. My heart sank into my stomach as he stepped backward, not wanting to be any closer to me than he already was.

He turned to Stevie Rae. "Give me your phone." She pulled it out automatically and gave it to him. He punched in some numbers and started walking away. "Watch them." he told the rest of the gang.

"This is ridiculous!" I yelled.

"Is it?" Aphrodite asked, stepping forward. "You know what happens if this continues, Zoey. My visions don't lie."

I scoffed. "And do you see black wings on Kalona?" I nodded toward him. Aphrodite looked at him for the first time, her eyes widening. "See? He's not with Darkness."

"Aphrodite, give them a chance to explain things to us. Kalona can change, just like Rephaim did. Just like me and all the other red fledglings did." Stevie Rae added.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Listen bumpkin, _you _might be okay with this, but _I _am _not _gonna play with fate. He could change back at any moment!"

"I love him." I whispered.

I could tell that Stevie Rae heard me because her eyes went wide and round, but I forgot that Aphrodite was only human, so her hearing wasn't as strong as ours. "What was that?" Aphrodite asked.

"I love him." I said, this time out loud. Kalona took my hand and gave them a small smile.

Rephaim and Stark stepped out from behind a dumpster in front of the depot. "And you?" Stark asked, looking at Kalona. "Do you love her? _Really _love her? Because, from what I saw, she didn't look like she wanted to go with you the last time you were here."

Kalona looked at me, his eyebrows drawn together. I could tell that he still felt bad about taking me without even asking first. In fact, he looked like he felt even worse about it now than he had earlier. I smiled at him, trying to let him know that it was okay without words. "Yes." he said, still looking at me. He then turned to them and said, "I do love her, with my entire being. And I love our daughter as well."

Stark's entire body jerked. I wanted to cry when I saw that, because I did still love him. There was even a part of me that felt like I was _supposed _to be with him. But that didn't change the way I felt about Kalona. I realized that I hadn't actually fallen in love with Kalona until last night, when our baby almost died. Up until then, I had only been in lust with him. But at this very moment, I knew that I did love Kalona, and I was sure that I was supposed to be with him.

"Yeah, well, love doesn't change everything. It may _feel _like it does, but it doesn't." Aphrodite said. She walked over to us and took my hand. "Zoey, this isn't the way it's supposed to be. I can feel it in my bones."

I was torn. I loved Kalona, but I loved Stark, too. _I _felt like this was the way things were supposed to be, but _Aphrodite _didn't, and she is the prophetess. I wanted my baby to have her father around, but just because Stark isn't her biological father, doesn't mean that he can't raise her that way.

"I…I…"

"You _son of a bitch_!" Stark yelled. I looked up and only saw a blur before hearing a loud crack. Kalona's hand pulled out of mine. There were three more loud cracks before I was off my feet and flying into the depot faster than I'd ever gone before. Three seconds later, I was being dropped on my bed.

My head was spinning from how fast I'd been going, so the room was spinning, too. I had no idea what had just happened.

"Zoey…" Stark started to say. "Ugh! Goddess, I'm sorry, but I just couldn't take it anymore! I'm so tired of all of this!" He walked over to me and took my face in his hands. "I love you, Z. I love you more than I've ever loved anything in my entire life." I'd finally regained my vision and saw that Stark was starting to tear up. "You can't stay with him, sweetheart. You just _can't_. I _need _you, Zoey."

I'd never felt like my heart was ripping in two more than I did at that moment. Maybe Kalona was right: coming here was a bad idea. "Stark… I think that…" And that was when it hit me. It wasn't just that my heart was breaking that I felt this crappy. It was something else. I didn't know why, but I was about to pass out. I was suddenly gasping for air, finding it harder and harder to breathe. The corners of my vision were dissipating, a black void filling its place.

My last thought before I passed out had nothing to do with either Kalona or Stark; the only thing I was thinking of was my child.

**[BREAK; STEVIE RAE'S POV]**

"How much longer does she have to stay like this?" Stevie Rae asked Thanatos, who was checking all the wires and machines attached to Zoey.

"I'd say about another six days. We'll wake her up a day before she goes into labor, just so that she can be prepared. I'll have the drugs ready to put her back out after labor, just in case." she answered.

Stevie Rae nodded, looking at Zoey and hating that this was how it had to be. It had been a week since Zoey had shown up at the depot with Kalona. Thanatos had concluded that Zoey had passed out because of all the stress that she had to deal with. Stark had been kicking himself the entire week for putting her through everything, even though everyone kept telling him that it wasn't his fault. Stevie Rae didn't agree with what Stark did, but she didn't think it was his fault that Zoey was in a coma, either.

She was only in a coma because Thanatos was forcing her to be in one. We had to wait until the baby was born before we could address anything else, especially the love triangle between Zoey, Stark, and Kalona. The more stress Zoey was in, the more likely it would hurt the baby.

"Are you okay?" Rephaim asked, taking Stevie Rae's hand.

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just worried about Z."

"She will be okay. She's very strong." Rephaim assured her.

Stevie Rae smiled. "Oh, I know that. I meant that I'm worried about what she's going to do to me when she wakes up. She's not going to be happy about what I did to your daddy."

Rephaim laughed. "No, she will not. But it had to be done. Not only so that he would stay out of the way, but for his own protection, too. Kalona is my father and I am okay with what you have done. If I can understand why you did it, I am sure that Zoey will, too. With some explaining, of course."

"Yeah, I guess so." Stevie Rae agreed.

"Do not worry so much, sweet. Everything will be okay." He kissed her on the cheek. "But…speaking of my father…?"

Stevie Rae smiled. "I'll take you to him."

No one was allowed to go see Kalona unless Stevie Rae was with them. Kalona had a habit of trying to break free whenever someone came to see him. Sometimes he would even try without anyone being there, but it was futile. There was no way he would be able to get out of the prison Stevie Rae had formed for him out of the earth. They were lucky that Stark had not only knocked Kalona out but had injured him pretty badly, too. If he had been conscious, there was no way they would've been able to get him down here. Damien had even had to use air to help them carry him because he was so big.

As they walked to the very end of the tunnel, Stevie Rae thought about Stark. He'd been so worried about Zoey that he wouldn't leave her side for anything, not even to eat or use the bathroom. It was to the point that as soon as they got him to go grab something to eat, Stevie Rae had to form a door out of earth for Zoey's room. Damien, Shaunee, and Erin had bought a padlock for the door before they went through with their plan, and they put it on the door immediately. When Stark came back from the kitchen – blood, food, and drink in hand because he had planned on eating in Zoey's room – he went crazy. He tried everything he could to get the door open, but nothing worked.

Everyone got together and held him down so that Thanatos could give him a sedative shot. Once he was asleep, they put him in a room that wasn't being used and hooked up his own machine to him. It kept him in a coma also. Stevie Rae thought about how crazy it was that Zoey always got men who would do anything for her. It was true that Rephaim probably would've done the same thing, but he was only one guy. Zoey had been with a handful of guys who were desperately in love with her. It was crazy.

"You ready?" Stevie Rae asked Rephaim as soon as they had made it to Kalona's jail cell. When he nodded, Stevie Rae used earth to make a small opening in the earth – one that only they could slip into. She quickly closed it back up once they were inside. The light from the oil lamp they had put in here was becoming very dim. She would have to come back later with some more oil for it.

"Ah, my warden returns." Kalona said, his back to them. "Did you bring the yellow-headed wench again so that she can tell me to stay away from my love?" He was sitting on the ground, reading something. He turned his head slightly around in order to see who had come to visit him. As soon as he caught sight of Rephaim, he stood up and raced over to him.

"Son, how is Zoey? Is she okay? How is the child? Why won't they let me see her?" he asked.

Stevie Rae noticed that Rephaim looked slightly disappointed that his father was only asking about Zoey. She knew that Rephaim still loved his father, especially now that he was on the good side. Kalona must have noticed because he continued, "Oh, son, I am sorry. I'm just so worried about them. How have you been? I have missed you very much."

Rephaim leaned into the hand that Kalona put on his cheek. "I've missed you, too, father. I am doing…" Rephaim looked at Stevie Rae with the most love she'd ever seen. "…very, very well."

Kalona looked between the two of them. Stevie Rae's heart squeezed at the look on his face. He really did love Zoey. She knew that, she just didn't want it to be true. And right now he was going through so much pain. In the back of her mind, Stevie Rae thought that it might not be the worst pain that he has to go through. Zoey might choose to be with Stark once the baby comes, and if that happens, she didn't know what Kalona might do. Could he even go back to the Otherworld?

But, then again, Zoey could choose to be Kalona. What happened then? They would have to stay here because of the child, the savior. But what would happen to Stark? Stevie Rae couldn't answer any of these questions, so she just stopped thinking about them.

"As for Zoey, she is – "

Stevie Rae coughed loudly, cutting Rephaim off. She hoped that he would get the message. They had all agreed that they wouldn't say anything about Zoey to Kalona for fear that it would drive him to escape even more. He definitely wouldn't like it that Zoey was in a coma, but he would like it even less if he found out that they had put her in one on purpose.

Rephaim and Kalona both looked at Stevie Rae. Rephaim looked confused at first and then he got it. Kalona also looked confused, but that was all…for a moment.

"Sorry, frog in my throat." Stevie Rae explained with a small smile.

She should've known better. Kalona wasn't stupid. Stevie Rae knew the instant the light bulb turned on over his head. He put his hands on Rephaim's shoulders and asked again, "How is Zoey, my son? Please, do not lie to me. I will know if you are or not."

Rephaim looked between Stevie Rae and Kalona, not wanting to betray Stevie Rae, but also knowing that he couldn't lie to his father. Stevie Rae could tell that he was afraid of what might happen if he lied to him, but Stevie Rae was more concerned about what would happen if he told him the truth.

"Father, Zoey is fine. There's nothing wrong with her, but…" Rephaim trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"But…?" Kalona asked, his eyes wide, his face full of fear.

Rephaim's face relaxed. "She is _okay_, father. Please do not worry. We had to put her to sleep – "

"What?! Like a dog?!" Kalona bellowed.

Stevie Rae – although flinching from Kalona's roar – couldn't help but giggle. She automatically knew it was a mistake, though, because Kalona's gaze turned on her, and it wasn't a friendly one.

"No, father, not like a dog. We didn't kill her. She is asleep. She has been asleep since she got here. We have machines attached to her that tell us how she and the baby are doing. She is only like this because she needs to get away from all the stress she has been under. Stress can hurt the baby and make her go into labor early." Rephaim explained.

Kalona let go of his son's shoulders as his face relaxed. He nodded, not looking entirely relieved, but not as upset as he was before either. "I see. I am sorry, son, but I wish to be alone. I love you. Come see me again soon."

Rephaim looked like he was about to grab for Kalona, but Stevie Rae stopped him and shook her head. "Yes, father, I will come again soon. I love you." Rephaim was obviously upset, but Stevie Rae was already making plans to do something that would cheer him up in her head.

She took Rephaim's hand as he turned toward the wall that she would make the opening in. Stevie Rae took a deep breath and as she let it out, the wall opened with, again, just enough space for them to make it through.

"It'll be alright, Reph – " Stevie Rae was interrupted by Rephaim pulling her down. She felt air going really fast over her head. She didn't know for sure what it was, but she had a bad feeling about it.

She got up as fast as she could and turned toward Kalona's jail cell…

…which was empty.

**[BREAK; NEFERET'S POV]**

Neferet was sitting on her living room floor, the white bull across the room. The both of them had been coming up with different ideas on who the sacrifice should be. The red fledglings had gotten in touch with Neferet to tell her that Thanatos had suddenly started keeping all the Sons of Erebus as her guards, which Neferet knew meant that Thanatos knew they were thinking about using her as the sacrifice.

The white bull had informed her that the spell was doing its work. He could feel the child's raw energy turning Dark. The best thing about the entire plan is that no one would know – in Zoey's group, that is – what happened. Neferet found herself laughing internally.

Neferet was surprised when the white bull suddenly nudged her.

_My lovely one, I have decided who our sacrifice will be…_

Neferet smiled as she stood, loving the fact that their plan would be in motion in only a week! "And who would that be, Consort?"

It was strange that Neferet could now tell when the white bull was smiling and when he was not. It wasn't like there was an actual physical change on the bull, but rather a telepathic one. She could just sense that he was smiling, just as he was at that very moment.

_I assure you, you will be surprised…_

And once he said the name of their sacrifice, he proved to be right.

**So, let me know what you think with a review right below this! I really hope you like it because I absolutely loved writing it! I haven't written in so long, it feels amazing to be back. And believe me, you won't have to wait long for another update. Yes, I am in college right now, but we've just started, so it's nothing hard yet. So, I am going to try to update a lot before we start getting into the difficult stuff in school! Thanks so much for reading my story!**


	18. Chapter 18

**So, I'm automatically starting on the next chapter because I'm so excited! I hope you like it.**

_**Kalona**_

It had been a while since Kalona was able to use his wings. The earth prison that the red one had formed for him was so small that he couldn't even expand his wings. It was a huge relief to be out in the open once again. But Kalona wasn't thinking of himself at this moment.

He had no idea which room they were keeping Zoey in, but he would search until he found it. With how fast he was moving, he was sure to find her and be out of the tunnels within 5 minutes. In one room – he was happy to see – Zoey's warrior and ex-lover was hooked up to machines that Kalona could only guess were keeping him asleep. For that, he was grateful.

When Kalona came across the earth door with the padlock on it, he knew that he had come across Zoey's room. With one hefty swing of his massive wing, the lock dented. Kalona had no idea what this lock was made of, but it was very strong. He heard the sounds of footsteps approaching and knew that he had made too much noise trying to break the lock. One more swing of his wing and the lock was on the ground.

He opened the door. For a brief moment, Kalona could not move. Zoey lay there on the bed, motionless, almost dead-looking. His heart broke with even the _thought _that Zoey was dead. The sound of the footsteps getting closer knocked sense into him. He leapt forward, pulling the wires of the machine away from Zoey and picking her up all in one motion.

He turned and flew out the door. Although the tunnels were relatively small, they were big enough for him to fly through. He rounded a corner and came head-to-head with Nyx's prophetess and her warrior. Kalona noticed the warrior's hand going for his weapon, so he flew up, almost scratching his back on the ceiling. But the warrior was fast; he was keeping up with Kalona from the ground.

Finally, Kalona made it to the ladder that would lead him and Zoey into the depot and, from there, outside. He flew adjacent to the ladder, and, once in the open air, allowed his wings to fully expand. He could now go as fast as he could.

Once outside, Kalona flew as high as he dared, knowing that the warrior wouldn't be able to see him.

"Don't worry." he said to an unconscious Zoey. "I'll keep you safe, my love."

**[BREAK; ZOEY'S POV]**

I was in a void. A blackness that I couldn't escape. I knew that I was asleep, but I couldn't seem to wake myself up. My mind wanted one thing, but my body wanted another. Maybe it had something to do with the baby.

I remembered Stark taking me into our bedroom and talking to me. I remembered feeling funny and passing out. But then… One moment I was dreaming, the next I was here. That had been happening on and off for a while. I would start to dream, and then I would be in the blackness. My only guess is that this is now my consciousness. My waking self.

But then something happened. I actually felt something physical! For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt…pain. It happened all at once, on different spots on my arms. I felt like someone was stabbing me, but there was nothing I could do about it. There was even a part of me that didn't _want _to do anything about it. Feeling pain was better than feeling nothing at all.

After the pain, I started to feel other things. My stomach would start doing somersaults, or I would feel like I was flying. Then I started to hear things. Wind, all around me, going really fast. A voice… Someone that I knew, but couldn't remember. I couldn't even make out what they were saying.

And what seemed like seconds after that, I felt something soft underneath me, and something cover me to keep me warm. I could now smell, too. I knew that I was somewhere outside, somewhere with trees and grass and wilderness.

The blackness around me started to swirl. I would see a tree here, or a river there. Dirt, rocks, people… But it was like a television, trying to get signal. The picture would get fuzzy, fade to black, come back, and do it all over again. It wasn't until I heard her voice that the picture stayed.

"Zoey. Listen to me." Nyx said. "You have to focus on my voice. Bring me into your consciousness."

"Nyx?" I said, knowing that I knew who that was, but not remembering specifically who. The only thing that I really knew was that I could trust her. I felt that in my entire being. I listened to her and tried to hang on to her voice, to imagine that she was here with me, even though I couldn't remember what she looked like.

The picture snapped into focus, and there she was, standing right in front of me. Everything came back to me; my memory was no longer fuzzy.

"Oh, Nyx!" I gasped, throwing myself into her arms. She wrapped me in her embrace, rubbing my back and trying to make me feel better.

"It's okay, Zoey. Everything is going to be okay." she whispered.

I pulled out of her arms so that I could look her in the face. "How? How could _anything _possibly be okay?! I'm pregnant, for one! You know, I haven't even thought about that! I'm not ready to be a mother! This can't be happening…"

Nyx grabbed my hand, making me look at her. "Daughter, don't worry. Like I said, everything will be alright. It had to be this way. Things may be hard for you right now, but it will get better. I promise."

"But me being pregnant isn't the beginning of it! I have Stark and Kalona to think about. Who am I supposed to be with? I love both of them; I want to be with both of them. But that isn't possible! And the prophecies!" I yelled.

"Shush." Nyx didn't yell it or even raise her voice, but I automatically did as she said. I knew that she would explain things to me. Maybe not everything, but what I needed to know in order to keep me going. "Sweetheart, the only way I can help you is if you help yourself. All these things you're talking about are in _your _control, not mine. The only way I can help you is by talking to you, helping you talk and think things through."

"What if I talk things through, come up with a decision, and it turn out to be the wrong one?" I asked, freaking out on the inside.

Nyx kissed my cheek with a small smile. "Then you will have to find out how to make it right. Zoey, you have had to make a lot of decisions since you've been marked, and have you ever made one that wasn't the best? Yes. Did you fix it? Yes. You must believe in yourself, daughter."

I took a moment to think about that. Yeah, it was true that I had been through a lot of bullpoopie since being marked. And, yeah, I had made some bad decisions, but I did always get through them. But that didn't mean that I wanted to make yet another bad decision.

"How did you choose Erebus instead of Kalona?" I asked, completely surprising myself. I didn't even know I'd been wondering about that.

Apparently, my question caught her off guard, too, because she didn't say anything for a moment. "It wasn't a choice. It's just…the way it is. I love Erebus. That doesn't mean that I don't love Kalona, because I do. I just don't love him in the way that he loves me."

"But how did you – "

"Zoey, enough of this. Think about it and let your heart make your decision. As for the baby, you will make a great mother. But be warned Zoeybird, you are in danger. Things will not be well soon, and you must prepare for that. No matter what you do, no matter who you choose, you will need your warrior and your friends during this time." Nyx warned me.

I turned away from her, suddenly angry. I had never felt this way towards Nyx before and it kind of scared me. But I couldn't really help it. She just kept giving me riddles when I wanted answers. I got it: free will and all, but when you asked for an answer, why couldn't you be given one?

"I know I'm going to need them. I need them more than ever right now." Tears prickled my eyes. "But I don't know how that's going to be possible when I have such a huge decision to make…"

Nyx laid a hand on my shoulder. "I realize that you might be upset with me, Zoeybird, but I only mean to help you. Come with me." Her hand fell to grasp mine and she led me to a part of the Otherworld that I had never seen before. We went up a hill, but when we reached the top, there was no longer ground, or sky, or…anything. It was just completely black.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"This is the part of my world that is yours. It looks different to every person. You can make it whatever you want. This is the place where you and I will talk. I think you'll find it helpful." Nyx answered.

I still didn't really get it. Did she mean that if I focused hard enough, I'd be able to construct my own little world? "What am I supposed to do?"

She smiled. "Nothing for now. Well, maybe one thing. Focus on making two chairs, one facing the void, the other facing my world. I want you to sit in the one facing my world and I will sit in the other chair. I do not know if this will make your decision easier or not because you are still split between either choice, but it has worked in the past."

I nodded, taking a deep breath as I did. I thought about the comfy black chairs the House of Night used in the computer lab as I let the breath out, and two of them magically appeared before my eyes. I gasped.

"I know." Nyx said, smiling as she ran a hand through my hair. "It's quite exhilarating to make your own world, is it not? But you haven't seen the half of it yet. Come, child."

She guided me to the chairs. We sat as she said to earlier. "Now, start from the beginning. Tell me everything."

And so I did.

**[BREAK; STARK'S POV]**

"Wha… What happened?" Stark slurred as he regained consciousness. He couldn't remember when he'd fallen asleep or what day it was. His head was pounding and he felt the need to chug a couple bottles of water. "Ugh, I feel like crap, Z."

Zoey.

Stark sat up straight in bed. He looked around, feeling anger bubble up to the surface. Where was Zoey? Was she okay? Why wasn't he with her? He closed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened before he went to bed. Why was he in bed in the first place? He felt the need to kick himself. What if he'd stayed up so long with her that he'd finally passed out and slept for days?

A sigh escaped his lips. He felt like the worst warrior ever. Why couldn't he just get things together? It was his fault that things had gotten to this point. He'd wanted to go with Zoey up into the depot while she talked to her grandmother, but he didn't want to be overprotective. He knew that Z hated that. She'd pushed Heath and Erik away for that exact thing. He didn't want to be the next to be pushed away.

But he already had, hadn't he? Because of that scumbag Kalona.

_I should've just let her go as soon as Nyx asked Zoey to do her that "favor". _he thought. His hands flew up to his temples, automatically regretting that thought. No, he shouldn't just give up on Zoey. He was her warrior, her protector. He should be at her side, every second of every day.

_But she doesn't want you. She hasn't wanted you for a long time…_

Where were these thoughts coming from?! Sure, he'd been a little fed up with Zoey's behavior lately, but that didn't mean that he was going to quit. He loved her. Or did he…? Everything in his head – and his heart – was mixed up. What lines were drawn when it came to love? For all intents and purposes, Zoey had cheated on him. Was he just supposed to ignore that because he was her warrior? Because she was cheating on him with the father of her baby?

_Maybe…_ he thought. _Maybe we're not supposed to be together…_

No, that couldn't be. They were made for each other. Ever since they first met, he'd felt an attraction to her. Not just because of how beautiful she was, but something else. Something supernatural. A pull toward her. It felt like the universe was telling him where he was supposed to go.

Stark decided to try something he had never done before. It was the only thing he could think of to help him figure things out. He could hear people outside his door, waiting to come inside. He opened his eyes and looked toward the door. It was then that he noticed the machines hooked up to him.

His eyes widened in disbelief. They had hooked him up to a machine that was keeping him asleep! How could they do such a thing?! He'd needed to be with Zoey. He was her warrior! How dare they!?

As much as he wanted to rip the wires and tubes out of his arm so they couldn't put him back out, he knew what he needed to do before they came inside. It was strange… He'd always heard Zoey and Aphrodite talking about "feelings" that they got sometimes. Feelings that told them when something was wrong or that something was true when they thought about it or said it out loud. It had never happened to him before, but now he was getting the feeling that if he just thought about him and Zoey…then he would know the answer to their future.

Before he could chicken out, Stark closed his eyes again. This time, he focused on Zoey and their relationship. He thought about how it felt to be around her now. Every time he'd looked at her, touched her hand, or spoke to her while she was in the coma they'd put her in…he couldn't help but think about her infidelity. About the fact that, for weeks while they were together, she'd been thinking about Kalona instead of him; dreaming about Kalona instead of him.

"I don't love Zoey." he whispered.

Stark felt his stomach drop down to the ground. He felt like he'd swallowed a horse pill, and his heart was racing. For the first time since he'd been marked, he was given the gift of – a variation, but nonetheless – foresight.

He didn't love Zoey anymore. He hated admitting it to even himself, but there was nothing he could do about the way he felt. People fell in love, and sometimes they fell out of love. That's just the way it was.

Opening his eyes, Stark realized that Stevie Rae, Rephaim, Aphrodite, Darius, and Thanatos had come into the room. They were all staring at him with different looks on their faces. Aphrodite looked worried, but annoyed at the same time. Darius was just worried. Rephaim and Stevie Rae looked confused. But when Stark met Thanatos' gaze…he knew that she could tell what he was going through, what he had just discovered.

Before anyone could say a thing, Stark ripped the tubes out of his arms. It hurt for a moment, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the pain of the emptiness he felt in his chest. He didn't feel like being here with the rest of them. He didn't want their pity or their questions. It was time for him to be alone, _really _alone.

He sped off, moving so fast that everything was a blur. Within minutes, the Tulsa city limits sign was behind him. But he wouldn't stop there. Oh no, Stark was just beginning his journey.

**[BREAK; ZOEY'S POV]**

"…and then everything went black for a while. Then I heard your voice, and you know the rest."

Tears were running down my cheeks as I finished my tale. They'd been flowing since practically the beginning. I had no idea how telling Nyx about everything was going to help me, but it did make me feel a little bit better.

Nyx pulled me to her, hugging me hard. I felt a few of her own tears fall on my shoulder. She'd been crying, too, I just didn't know when she'd started. I no longer felt any anger towards her at all. I actually wanted to just stay here forever, wrapped in her arms. It was a way better option than having to go back to reality.

"Oh, my sweet girl…" Nyx whispered. "You have made me so proud."

I pulled away from her to look her in the face, totally confused. "Um…did you not hear everything I just told you?" A small giggle escaped my lips. I'd had no idea I could laugh at a time like this. Or maybe it was just a touch of hysteria.

She smiled at me. "Of course I did. But that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about your choice. It has made me proud."

"But I haven't made a decision yet… Wait, are you saying that you know what I'm going to decide? Because...you could give me a hint, you know…"

Instead of answering, Nyx took my shoulders in her hands and turned me around.

Before me – in _my _part of the Otherworld – was the nursery my friends had built for me. The only difference between it and the real nursery was that this one was finished. "But…I don't understand…"

Nyx laughed. "Zoeybird, do you not see the choice you have made already? You made it a long time ago. It had never been about Kalona or Stark, or even about yourself. It has been about your child."

As soon as the words escaped her mouth, it hit me. I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been. All along, I had been worried for my child. I'd held more love for her than both of the men in my life put together. That didn't mean that I was going to say goodbye to both of them, though. Only that I would take a break from guys until she came into the world.

I turned back around to Nyx, a gigantic smile on my face. I was about to thank her for everything she'd done, but when I saw the expression on her face, my entire body turned to ice.

"You need to go now, Zoey."

She was looking over my shoulder and to the side. I turned to see what she was looking at, but she reached out and grabbed me, keeping me from turning around. Her eyes looked straight into mine as she said, "I didn't realize just how much time had passed, daughter. I'm afraid you need to go now. I love you so much, Zoey."

"I love you, too." I whispered. Something in her voice made me want to cry. "Do I have to leave now? What's going on?" I turned to try and see what it was again. Nyx's grasp on my shoulders tightened, trying to keep me facing her, but she couldn't keep me from seeing it.

Right behind me, there was a dark tendril coming right at me. It looked like a hand, reaching out for me, mimicking Nyx. I don't know how, but somehow the tendril knew that I was looking at it; knew that it was there. It snaked forward, an inch away from my face.

"Zoey, go now!" Nyx yelled.

But I couldn't. I was frozen. I felt like I couldn't even breathe anymore. What was this? Darkness? How could there be Darkness in Nyx's world?

"Zoey!" I felt Nyx's hand touch my back right before the tendril reached out and touched the tip of my nose…

All the air went out of my lungs as everything went black.


	19. Chapter 19

**I am so, so sorry about it taking me so long to update. If you'll look at the reviews page for this story, you will see why I haven't been able to update for a while. I will try to update frequently from now on. It may be a little hard because of school, but I will try my best. Here is the next chapter!**

_**Aphrodite**_

Aphrodite couldn't believe that Stark had just run off. How could he abandon them, let alone Zoey, at their darkest hour? It just didn't make any sense. One minute he's saying he loves Zoey more than anything in the world, the next he's leaving her behind to fend for herself? The list of people Aphrodite could count on was becoming smaller and smaller the more Zoey's stomach grew.

And that was another problem: Zoey had been with Kalona for four straight days and no one knew where they were. Spells couldn't even locate them! But the worst part was that they had calculated that Zoey was now 36 weeks along in her pregnancy. In another 3 days, Zoey would be giving birth. They needed to find her soon or there could be some complications with the birth; she could even _die_.

Aphrodite also had a personal problem that was troubling her: she'd had a strong feeling that something really bad was about to happen the past two days. Sure, almost everything had been bad since they found out Z was preggers, but this feeling blew every other thing out of the water. She'd spoken to Darius and the others about her feeling, but they all said the same thing about it. They all told her that she was just feeling bad because of the situation they were in.

"This isn't about the fact that Zoey is missing." Aphrodite told Darius as they sat down on their bed. She'd been trying to pipe down about her feeling because no one was taking her seriously, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. Something was definitely wrong. She felt tears prickle her eyes. "This…this is something bad. _Really_ bad, Darius. I-I…just know that something absolutely _awful _is about to happen. I just can't pinpoint what it is."

Darius's face softened as he put an arm around her. "I believe you, love. I just think that everyone doesn't want to believe it because of all the other bad things that have been happening. We don't know what to do right now and having another problem on top of everything else is…unsettling at best. Is there any way you could just…hold off on this feeling until we get everything else settled?"

Aphrodite looked at him as if his head just turned into a frog. "Are you seriously asking me to ignore my feeling until it's _convenient_?" she asked.

Darius lightly stroked Aphrodite's cheek, his eyebrows furrowing as he did. He knew he was in trouble. "I – "

"Forget it." Aphrodite declared, slapping away his hand. She stood up, straightening her top as she did. "If none of you will back me up and take me seriously, I'll just go to someone who will."

"Aphrodite, wait!" Darius yelled as she stormed out of their room, but nothing he could say now would make her turn back.

Half an hour later – after pacing back and forth a bit, trying to figure out if she was taking the right approach to this – Aphrodite arrived at the House of Night. Every time she took a step on her old school's grounds, she felt a wisp of sadness go through her. She was human now. No matter what anyone said, no matter if Nyx still loved her or not, she would never really feel like she belonged there anymore.

She quickly got over this feeling as another wave of the desperately horrible sensation came back to her. This one slammed right into her gut, making her feel as if she was on a rollercoaster. It was a strange feeling, mixed with sadness, grief, fear, and just a touch of anger. Most of the time her feelings only consisted of one emotion, occasionally consisting of two. With every new emotion mixed into this bad feeling, Aphrodite became more and more overwhelmed.

As she stopped, took a deep breath, and fought the feeling, about twenty Sons of Erebus gathered around her.

"It's okay." she whispered. "I'm alright."

But as Aphrodite looked around, she realized that they were not there to check on her. They were there to hurt her. Each one had some sort of weapon with them: swords, guns, mace, daggers, even spears. She slowly raised her hands next to head, showing them that she was unarmed.

"Why are you here, human?" one of them asked.

Aphrodite took a deep breath to calm herself before answering, "I am a Prophetess of Nyx. I've come to speak to Thanatos. I will wait wherever you deem fit while you tell her I am here." This was nowhere near the answer she would've given had they not had weapons with them.

"Move aside." someone said from behind the group of men. As they moved over, Aphrodite saw Thanatos moving toward her. "Hello, Prophetess. Have you come to bring me news on Zoey?"

Aphrodite nodded. "At least, I think it's about Zoey. Can we go somewhere more private?"

"Yes. Follow me."

Thanatos walked with her hand on the small of Aphrodite's back the whole way to the professor's dormitory. Every now and then she would move her hand in a little circle, as if to comfort Aphrodite.

As soon as the door to Thanatos's room was shut, Aphrodite poured everything out to her. "I have been feeling something strange. Something bad is about to happen, but I haven't had any visions about it. Usually I'll get at least a flicker of something when I get a feeling, but there's nothing this time. I'm afraid I may be losing my gift. What if I'm not doing what it is Nyx intended for me to do?"

Thanatos didn't reply for a moment. She pursed her lips before replying, "Aphrodite, I do not think that you are losing your gift. I believe that what you are feeling is something that is going to happen, whether or not you know about it beforehand. I have been feeling something, too, although I cannot say that I know exactly what it is. I do know that death will visit the House of Night soon. Perhaps you are just feeling the same thing."

Aphrodite gasped. "Do you think someone I care about is going to die?"

Again, silence for a moment. "It could very well be that that is the case, but I do not believe so. There may be one or two students who do not make it through the transition from human to vampyre, but I do not believe it will happen to someone close to you. I have been feeling this same thing ever since I arrived here. Do not dread on it, but do not take it lightly either. If you need any more help, come and see me."

Aphrodite slowly nodded. She agreed with Thanatos; she'd felt what upcoming death felt like, and this wasn't that same feeling. She quickly thanked Thanatos for her help, mumbled that she was likely right and then stumbled out of the room.

Her hands shook as she took out her cell phone and dialed Darius's number. She had no idea if she would reach him or not because of the signal in the tunnels, but she had to try. He answered almost immediately.

"Oh, darling, are you okay? I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you." he said in greeting.

Aphrodite smiled a little as she shook her head. "It's okay. I'm sorry for storming out like that without talking to you. You might be right; I may just be stressed out. But I'm not taking this lightly. I would rather us take precautions and be wrong than do nothing and not be prepared when something happens. I want everyone out tonight looking for Zoey and Kalona. We need to keep an eye out for Stark, too."

"Taking charge, are we?" he asked. Aphrodite could tell by the tone of his voice that he liked that she was ordering him around.

A seductive smile formed on her lips. "When do I not?" With that, she hung up, took a deep breath, and prepared herself for whatever battle was about to go down.

**[BREAK; NEFERET]**

Neferet had been watching Zoey and Kalona constantly since she'd located them with a dark spell. It had been so easy to find them that she couldn't even contemplate how Thanatos hadn't yet. The two hadn't been doing much. Mostly, they went from place to place, keeping a low profile and resting. They'd been collecting items here and there, baby things. The main thing she saw them collecting were baby books.

The White Bull had given Neferet specific instructions that she was not to let the couple out of her sights until the baby came. Sure, she needed sleep, but it was easy enough to let Darkness wake her when the couple decided to head for another "secret" location. And the same went for nutrition: Darkness would go out and find a victim for Neferet and bring it back to her. She often wondered why she hadn't used Darkness earlier for such things.

As she watched Zoey and Kalona go over breathing techniques for the birth, she went over the spell that would turn Zoey's precious child into her own destruction once again. Neferet wanted to get it right. She couldn't afford any mistakes in the execution of the spell. Everything was in place: they'd collected all the items they needed for the spell, including the sacrifice.

Sister Mary Angela was tied to a stretcher in a basement at the moment. Neferet had easily charmed the man who owned the house with the basement into letting her use it. He hadn't even cared why she wanted it. The man was now a slave to Neferet's powers, attending to the nun's basic needs while Neferet was away. Mary Angela would die, of course, but not before Zoey went into labor. That was the most important part of the ritual.

A cold, whipping wind gathered around Neferet, bringing her back to the present. At first she though that Kalona and Zoey were fleeing to yet another hideout, but, when looking up, found them exactly where they had been before, this time laughing about something Neferet hadn't heard. The White Bull was making his grand entrance! It had been two days since she'd seen him and her whole body vibrated with excitement at the prospect of his praise.

_Ah, you are looking lovely this evening, my dark one. _the White Bull whispered in her mind by way of greeting.

"As do you, my love." Neferet whispered. She didn't want to attract the attention of Zoey or Kalona. The White Bull might have been able to disappear in an instant if caught, but Neferet hadn't yet mastered that trick. "Everything is running smoothly here. They have been preparing for the birth."

_You have been doing your job very well. When this is over, you shall be my queen and we shall rule the world. _Neferet smiled at the thought. _I must be going. There are other things I must attend to if we wish for this spell to work._

Neferet's smile vanished. "So soon, my lord? I'd hoped to spend some time with you. _Alone._" she purred.

The White Bull smiled. _All in due time, dearest. When we rule the earth, we shall have all the time in the world together._

Neferet knew that this was true, but she was growing impatient. She hated hiding everywhere she went, watching her old consort drooling over that little girl. Neferet plastered a smile on her face. "Of course, my love. I will keep watch on Zoey while you are away."

With a small sound of contentment, the White Bull vanished, leaving Neferet all to herself yet again.

**[BREAK; STEVIE RAE]**

"Nyx, I love you, but why do we have to go through all this just to defeat Neferet?" Stevie Rae mumbled to herself as she walked along the rocky terrain. She'd been out four hours already looking for Zoey but coming up with nothing. She hadn't even found a clue as to where they might be. That was why everyone was split up, each looking in a different area for Z.

She kicked a rock as she came over a tiny hill, blowing out a breath as she did. As she looked up, though, that breath skidded to a halt.

There they were. Zoey and Kalona were cuddling, watching something roast over a fire and talking. There was a huge tent behind them and Stevie Rae thought she saw a mattress inside of it. Anger flooded through Stevie Rae, hot and all-consuming. She stormed toward them, satisfied with the thought that she was about to ruin their good time.

"What the hell, Z?!" she shrieked as she made it up to them.

Both Zoey and Kalona jumped at the sound of her voice. When Zoey looked at her, Stevie Rae felt a pang of hurt as she saw the disappointment in Z's eyes. Tears threatened to well up but Stevie Rae pushed them right back.

"How could you just leave us like that? You had us all _hopin' _that you were in a coma or somethin', that way we'd all know that you didn't contact us because you couldn't! Now I find you here, all cozied up by a warm fire, lookin' like you don't have a care in the world?"

"I… I thought this would be better. For everyone. I've decided that I want to spend the days I have before my baby is born with her father." she replied.

Stevie Rae stuck her hands on her hips just like her mama used to when she was angry and disappointed in her. "So you've definitely decided that you're gonna be with him?"

"No!" she automatically replied. "I mean…" Zoey looked over at Kalona and apologized with a look. He smiled back at her and shook his head. "Look, I've already explained to Kalona that I haven't chosen to be with anyone. As far as I'm concerned, I'm single. I don't want to be with anyone right now, but I also don't think it's fair to shut Kalona out because he is the father of my baby." Zoey looked down at the ground as she rubbed her stomach. She didn't look back up as she explained, "I didn't want to tell anyone because I thought they'd take it the wrong way, just like you are."

Stevie Rae scoffed. "I'm not takin' anything the wrong way. Zoey, you've been nothin' but selfish this entire time! You decide you're gonna be with Stark and then change your mind. Then you change your mind again and decide you wanna be with Stark again. You run off, not even botherin' to tell anyone or caring! You haven't been seein' a doctor throughout your pregnancy and you haven't been doing the appropriate things to take care of your baby while she's still in you. I don't see – "

Kalona stood up then, towering over Stevie Rae. "Do not yell at her! You have no idea what she's been through, what she's going through. Zoey is trying her best. You're not helping by yelling at her. Did you know that stress – such as you yelling at her – could make her go into labor early?"

Stevie Rae swallowed. Kalona, just standing there, was incredibly intimidating. When he was yelling at her, though, she wanted to curl up into a small a ball as possible. But she managed to stand her ground. Instead of defending herself, she spoke directly to Zoey: "If you wanna make this better, you'll stay here while I get the others. They're worried sick about you, Z. I promise that if you still decide you wanna be alone with Kalona after you see everyone, we'll leave without a fight. We just love you and want to make sure you're okay."

Zoey looked up at Kalona, as if looking for the answer in his face. "I am perfectly fine with whatever you choose, Zoeybird." he reassured her.

She nodded. "Okay." she said, sounding tired. "I promise that we'll stay here while you get the others. I'm sorry."

Stevie Rae felt like a big ole' bully when she heard the sadness in Zoey's voice, but she wouldn't even try to take what she said back. She'd meant what she said. "Okay. I'm sorry I had to be so blunt with you, Z. I just had to let you know what I think. I'll be back soon."

Zoey nodded as Kalona sat back down next to her. Stevie Rae saw him take Zoey's hand as she began to walk away. She'd taken three steps away from them, pulling out her phone as she did so that she could call the others, when she heard it. A sickening, wet-sounding grunt. Her entire body froze at the sound. She knew that sound from somewhere, but didn't want to acknowledge that she'd heard it. Stevie Rae's heart started racing as she turned back to face Zoey and Kalona.

It was just as she thought: Zoey still sat in the same place, but she was now staring at her balled-up fist. Kalona was reaching for a tissue out of the tissue box that Stevie Rae hadn't even realized was there. A flash of a memory danced before Stevie Rae's eyes for a moment. She was in Zoey's arms, feeling helpless. Fear was coursing through her body as if it were her life's blood, the very same blood that covered her hands and various other parts of her body. Zoey even had a little on her.

As she snapped back to reality, she felt the tears start rolling down her cheeks of their own accord. She threw herself down to sit next to Zoey, shaking her head back and forth over and over again. "Tell me it's not what I think it is. Tell me I'm not right!" she shrieked.

But Zoey didn't have to say a word. The fear and desperation in her eyes said it all: her body was rejecting the change from human to vampyre.

Zoey was going to die.

… **Any thoughts? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think…**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Kalona**_

Zoey had begun to cough more and more as time went on. It hadn't been long since he'd stolen her away from the tunnels and the machines they'd had her hooked up to, but it felt like it had been an eternity.

Kalona had already thought of what it would be like when he lost Zoey to the inevitable, death. But he had never thought that it would come this soon. He knew there was a chance that Zoey's body could still reject the change, but he never thought it would because she was so special.

The Red One now had Zoey's head in her lap, stroking Zoey's cheeks and crying steadily. Kalona himself had been in that same place often in the past few days, but Zoey was always asleep when he cried. He'd found it strange that she had not cried yet. It was as if her death meant very little to her. But, of course, he knew why.

Zoey _was _worried about her death, but not for the obvious reasons. No, she was more concerned about making it to the day she went into labor. She hadn't said a word about it, but Kalona could see it in her eyes, especially when she looked at her stomach.

As Zoey whispered soothing sounds to the Red One, Kalona slowly made his way behind the tent, hoping they wouldn't notice if he was gone for a few moments. Once he was behind the tent, he unfurled his wings slowly so they wouldn't make any noise. In no time at all, Kalona was sitting on a hill not far away. He could still see them from where he was, but he knew he was out of earshot.

He pulled out his phone, noticing his hands were shaking as he did. There were two reasons for this: the first was his obvious fear for Zoey. The second was his fear of telling her friends. The entire reason they were moving from hideout to hideout was because she didn't want them to know. She wanted to pass after giving birth to their child. She had asked Kalona to take her body to the House of Night and leave it there to be found. She feared that everyone would think that Kalona had killed her. He didn't care about what they thought, though.

Kalona pressed the call button once he had selected his son's name in the phonebook. It had taken him a while to get used to this new technology, but – with Zoey's help – he finally figured it out. He slowly bounced from one foot to the other as he listened to the tone that meant Rephaim's phone was ringing.

"Father?" Rephaim answered, his voice anxious.

Kalona felt an overwhelming desire to cry, to pour his heart out to his son. But he restrained himself and said, "Son, you must gather the others and come to the city limits. I will meet you there."

"What's wrong? Has Zoey gone into labor?"

A tear slipped out of Kalona's right eye before he could stop it. He quickly wiped it away, fearing that – somehow – his son would sense his vulnerability. "No, not yet. But there is something we need to share with you. Your Stevie Rae is here. Please come."

Kalona hung up before Rephaim could reply. That had been the first time he had ever said the Red One's name to his son. He hoped that his son would take that as a sign that his father had changed, that he meant them no harm.

"Love," Kalona whispered as he landed near Zoey, "I think you should get some rest."

Zoey's eyes had shut as she lay in Stevie Rae's lap. Kalona gave Stevie Rae a brief but obvious look to get her attention. He could tell right away that she got the message, even with her eyes filled with tears.

"Hmm." Zoey mumbled. "Yeah, I am kind of tired. Help me in the tent?"

After Zoey was safely asleep and tucked in, Kalona grabbed Stevie Rae and walked her down a trail away from the tent.

"Hey, let go of me!" Stevie Rae gasped, yanking her arm free.

Kalona stopped walking and turned to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Listen to me. I called my son and told him to gather the others and meet me at the city limits. I was wondering if you would stay with Zoey while I go?"

Stevie Rae said nothing. She looked up at him, her eyes squinted as if she were looking for some sort of sign. Slowly, she nodded.

"Thank you. I will be back soon. Please, take care of her. I… I don't know how much longer we'll have her." Kalona whispered the last sentence.

He turned to leave, his wings unfolding, when he heard her say something. She must have realized he hadn't heard her because she said again, "You really do love her, don't you?"

Without turning around, Kalona nodded.

"And you've changed. I can see it." Once again, he nodded. When he didn't hear anything else, Kalona thought she'd finished her piece. But then she said something that didn't think he would ever hear from her.

"Then you have my blessing."

**[BREAK; DAMIEN]**

"Why do we have to go to the city limits?" Damien asked through his cell phone. He'd been searching every rooftop he came across for Zoey and Kalona by using his air element. Just a few minutes ago, he'd received a text from Rephaim telling him that everyone was meeting at the city limits but there was no reason why.

Rephaim sighed. "Why must I answer this question for everyone? Because I believe I know where Zoey is and it's close to the city limits. That is why I thought we should meet up there."

Damien thought about this a moment. "How do you know where she is?"

"I don't." Rephaim replied, matter-of-fact. "I think I know where she is."

"Well, then why don't you go ahead and check it out? If she's not there, we've just wasted time that could've been spent looking for her elsewhere."

There was a long silence. For a minute, Damien thought he'd lost signal. He was just about to ask if Rephaim was still there when he answered, "Can you keep a secret?"

_Oh, no_. Damien thought. _No more secrets. I hate secrets. They're the whole reason we're in this situation in the first place. _But he didn't voice his opinion. Instead he just said, "Yes."

"My father called me. Stevie Rae found them. He's going to meet us at the city limits and bring us to Zoey. Do _not _tell anyone else." With that, Rephaim hung up.

A flood of different emotions swept across Damien. Relief that they finally knew where Zoey was. Excitement that he was going to see her. Anger that she had just run off without a word. But most of all, fear.

Damien had been the only person to take Aphrodite seriously when she said that something was wrong. He hadn't told her that he believed her, but he did. If Zoey had been in the tunnels when Aphrodite got the feelings she had, he probably wouldn't have thought anything of it. But Zoey had been missing for days without contacting any of them. Yeah, it seemed like she had been going missing a lot lately, but she had never been gone this long. And there was no way she would do something like this so close to her due date unless something had happened.

So Damien was entirely convinced that he would arrive wherever Zoey was to find her in bad shape.

Nevertheless, he took a deep breath, counted to three, and blew it out before going forward. He thought about Jack and – even though thinking about Jack always made him sad – gained strength from the thought.

Damien walked two blocks before realizing that he was completely lost. He now remembered that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going earlier. All of his attention had been focused on finding new rooftops to check. He started to shake all over as he looked around and couldn't find a single thing that would tell him which direction he needed to go.

"Nyx," he whispered, "please help me. I'm lost and I need your guidance."

As if his prayer had been answered, Damien suddenly remembered something he had been playing with a few days ago. He'd been sitting in his room, growing tired of the book he had been rereading for the seventh time, and thinking about how much more he could do when the gang was in trouble.

After every encounter with Neferet, Damien always felt useless. He knew that he had his air element, but all he'd ever been able to do with it was blow air in someone's face. Sure, it was a pretty strong gust of wind, but it wasn't enough. So, Damien had put his book up nice and neat on his bookcase and walked out to the depot.

He stood there in the depot, guiding the air back and forth in front of him, making scattered pieces of paper dance as he did so. It was then that he realized he could do something pretty cool with his element.

Damien had cupped one of his hands in front of him. He pointed with his index finger to the middle of his cupped hand's palm. He swirled his finger in a circle, focusing as hard as he could as he did. The whistle he heard told him that his idea was working: there was a very tiny tornado in the middle of the depot.

Damien laughed, his heart fluttering with happiness. He twirled his finger faster and faster, all the while laughing. Suddenly, a piece of the old wallpaper ripped from the wall and went straight into Damien's tornado. He immediately dropped his hands, now comprehending just how dangerous his new ability could be.

_Neferet, eat your heart out._ he'd thought.

Damien then tried out another idea he'd had. He was still successful, just not as much as he was with the tornado idea.

As he stood in this strange place, he decided that he needed to at least try it out. It was his only option.

"Air, please come to me." Damien whispered, loving the rush he felt when air gushed all around him. "You know what to do."

Damien felt the pressure around his ankles first. He had to do a little balancing, but soon he was an inch off the ground. One minute later, he was two feet off the ground. In no time, Damien was flying.

**[BREAK; APHRODITE]**

"Yes, _please _explain to me how I'm being ridiculous! Again!" Aphrodite shrieked, tears running down her face.

Darius tried to put his arm around her, but she shook him off. "Sweetheart, I never said you were being ridiculous, just – "

"Not in so many words!"

Aphrodite darted off, leaving Darius behind. She heard him yell something after her, but she didn't pay any attention. As more time went on, Aphrodite felt more and more like something was pressing down on her chest, threatening to suffocate her. She cried all the time, but she didn't know why. Darius and that stupid bumpkin just kept saying that she was depressed over Zoey being missing, but she knew that wasn't it.

She was now hiccupping furiously, tears streaming down her face. She tasted the salt in her tears and tried to spit them out, but every time she opened her mouth more tears fell in. Aphrodite hated that she could barely breathe through her nose and her eyes were so puffy that she couldn't wear makeup without drawing any _more _attention to her imperfection.

Aphrodite was so upset that she almost walked right by the city limits sign…and Kalona. She turned on her heel and stormed toward him, not even caring that she couldn't control her crying anymore.

"Where the _hell _is she?!" she yelled, poking her finger in his chest. "How could you take her away _now_? She's days away from giving birth!"

Suddenly, strong arms were holding Aphrodite's arms to her sides. She yelled and screamed for whoever it was to let her go, but they were so strong.

"Aphrodite, what has gotten into you?" Darius whispered in her ear.

Before she could answer, the rest of their now tiny group appeared. Erin, Shaunee, and Kramisha were jogging toward them. Erin and Shaunee – surprisingly – looked concerned for Aphrodite, and Kramisha just looked like she was annoyed that Aphrodite was throwing a fit. In the back of her mind, Aphrodite wondered where Damien was.

"I'm afraid we can't wait any longer." Rephaim said a little louder than necessary, perhaps to get everyone's attention away from Aphrodite.

Erin and Shaunee exchanged a look. "But we can't just leave – "

A shriek pierced the night air overhead. Aphrodite looked up to see – shockingly – Damien trying to fly, but looking more like he was about to crash. They all watched as he came closer and closer to the ground. Aphrodite gasped when Damien was about five feet above the ground. He was about to crash right into a collection of large rocks.

Faster than anyone could see, Kalona flew up and grabbed Damien just as he was about to hit the ground. They all actually _heard _the air fly out of Damien's lungs. Erin and Shaunee ran to him, both yelling about what he was doing up there and that it was dangerous for him to try something like that.

Before anything else could be said, Kalona – with Damien in his arms, gasping for breath – and Rephaim started walking down a small trail that Aphrodite hadn't seen until they pointed it out. Without a word, everyone else started trailing them.

Ten minutes later, with Aphrodite silently crying the whole way, they saw the light of a fire and a tent in its light. The next thirty seconds felt like the group had practiced what they would do when they found Zoey. They all paused for a moment, feeling the tension in the air. And then, all at once, they sprinted toward the tent.

As Aphrodite got closer, the knot in her stomach began to tighten more and more. This gave her proof that she wasn't upset because Zoey was missing. It also frightened her more than anything had before.

They all paused at the entrance to the tent, not sure what they should do next. Just as Aphrodite reached out to open the tent, Stevie Rae walked out of it. Rephaim shot forward just as Stevie Rae collapsed, catching her in his arms. At first, Aphrodite thought she had fainted, but one look at her face told Aphrodite that Stevie Rae was exhausted…from crying.

"No, no, no…" Aphrodite whispered, opening the tent.

There she was. Zoey. She looked almost blue in the face, so much so that Aphrodite thought she was dead. For the first time today, Aphrodite couldn't cry. She just stood there, looking at her best friend, feeling her heart turn hollow.

She darted forward, falling to her knees next to Z. The sound must have woken Zoey up because her eyes snapped open.

"Oh, Zoey." Aphrodite whispered, wanting to cry, but unable to. "I'm so sorry."

Zoey gave her a small smile and shook her head slightly, making a strand of hair fall in her face. Aphrodite reached forward to brush the hair back…

"Oh." Zoey gasped, reaching down to her stomach. "That didn't feel so good…"

"Z? You okay?" Shaunee whispered from the front of the tent.

She nodded. "Well, I – " Zoey began to cough violently. Aphrodite felt the warm, wet substance on her face before she saw it on Zoey's mouth. She was coughing up blood.

Everything happened so fast after that. So fast that Aphrodite almost didn't keep up.

Erin fainted, falling to the ground with a loud, "thump!" Stevie Rae let out a wail into Rephaim's shoulder, who was looking at Zoey as if she were a ghost. Kalona flew forward to be on the other side of Z. Shaunee and Damien latched onto each other, both crying. Kramisha just stood there, her dark eyes focused only on Zoey.

Just as Aphrodite looked back at Zoey, Z yelled out in pain.

"I… I can't believe it." Darius whispered, taking Aphrodite into his arms. She didn't resist, even though she was still mad at him for not believing her earlier.

"No." Zoey whispered, so low they almost didn't hear it. A small smile appeared on her face. "Don't be sad. The baby's coming."

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had to write it really fast. Lol. Don't forget to tell me what you think in a review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**It's time! Lol. Took long enough, huh? Well, I really hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

_**Neferet**_

Even with Neferet's amazing vampyric hearing, she still had to strain to hear the conversation going on in the tent. The fact that she was freaking out on the inside made it even harder. Zoey might just die on her own before the child was born! What luck! She'd overheard the conversation Zoey, Stevie Rae, and Kalona had earlier about Zoey's body rejecting the change. But she still needed to listen to what was going on and make sure that Zoey didn't go into labor.

Neferet decided to close her eyes as she listened. Taking away her sight sense made her hearing sense stronger. Everything she heard was still faint, but it no longer sounded like a wisp in the wind. No, everything she heard sounded like a whisper now, and she could work with that.

"No, no, no…" she heard from the tent. Neferet thought it was Aphrodite, but it could have been any of the girls. A few seconds went by before she heard, "Oh, Zoey. I'm so sorry."

Before she could hear what happened next, the wind picked up around her, signaling the arrival of her consort. But she could tell by the force of the wind that something was wrong. He was rushing his arrival.

_My beauty… _he whispered before he'd even fully appeared. _We must go. Zoey is having her child. I'd hoped she would die beforehand and make our life easier, but it seems like that is not going to happen._

"Yes, my – "

_There is no time for conversation. Go to the basement and get the sacrifice. I will meet you there, my sweet._

Neferet said nothing. Instead, she held her hands out and willed Darkness to her. She'd been working with it for so long that she no longer had to feed it. It flowed right to her hands, up her wrists and arms, slowly spreading all over her body. In three seconds, Neferet and all of the Darkness was gone.

From that spot, at least. Now, she and the Darkness stood on the porch of the house that held the nun. Although she could easily break into the house and charm the young man who lived there again, she wanted to keep up the appearance that she was a guest. There were also two men walking down the street and, although they were drunk, they would notice a vampyre breaking into a house. She may not be acquainted with the House of Night anymore, but that didn't mean she wanted all vampyres to have a bad name. She planned on taking over one day, and she needed to look innocent to do that.

Neferet rang the doorbell, waiting patiently for the young man to answer. As he opened the door, Neferet brought his name to the front of her mind, thinking he would find it rude if she didn't address him by name.

"David!" She smiled, turning on her charm. David was about five feet ten inches in height, around 175 pounds. He had short, dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. Today he was wearing a red, black, and blue horizontal striped shirt with blue jeans and black sneakers. To Neferet, he looked like a 25 year old man trying to look like a teenager. "Would you mind if I came to check on my friend?"

David smiled, but his eyes glazed over, as if he were lost in thought. _Damn, _Neferet thought, _I will have the world eating out of my palm in no time. Just look at this poor bastard. _"Oh, miss! I was beginning to think you'd never come back. Please, do come in."

David opened the door wider and moved to the side to allow Neferet inside. She walked in and directly went to the side of the stairs where the door to the basement was.

"Wouldn't you like to sit and visit some before you check on her? I could make some tea, coffee, hot chocolate?" David asked.

Neferet turned and smiled at him. "I'm sorry, David, but I really need to check on her. Maybe later."

David frowned. Neferet loved that she could make men follow her around like lost little puppy dogs. It was even more amazing, however, that the more she turned them down, the more they wanted her. "I could bring a drink down for you, if you'd like?"

Her patience was beginning to wear thin. "I really appreciate that, David, but I'd like a little time alone with Mary."

Neferet turned back around and made her way to the door. David said nothing so she assumed he got the point. She made a mental note to take it easier on the next person she had to charm with Darkness. The way David was acting could come in handy if anyone ever questioned him about Neferet, but it was annoying.

As her hand started to turn the knob of the basement door, David said, "Where are my manners? Miss, would you like something to eat instead? I just finished making some spaghetti."

Neferet repressed the urge to let out a snarl. She turned around and walked toward him until they were an inch apart. She was looking down at him when she whispered, "I don't eat spaghetti. Or _any _food, for that matter."

"Well, then…" David murmured. He tilted his neck, exposing the artery. Neferet gave a little gasp, wondering why a human – even one under a very powerful spell – would offer such a vital part of his body to a vampyre. She did this while watching the artery pulse in time with his heart. It was tempting – _so _tempting – to move her head down the few inches and bite, but there was a part of her that worried about David's actions.

"What did you do to Mary?" she asked.

David straightened his head, looking at her with wide eyes. Neferet had her answer. Something had happened to Mary Angela, and the only way she would find out what was if she went to the basement herself to see.

She turned on her heel and raced to the door. It flew open, the top corner breaking off as it the wall. Neferet took the stairs down two at a time, heart racing. When she turned the corner she heard David yell out to her, but she wasn't listening. The chains attached to the wall were empty. Neferet looked all around, but the nun was nowhere.

Neferet turned, fully expecting David to be there, so that she could take his previous offer and drain him dry. Instead, she found herself face to face with the White Bull. "Oh, my love! He has ruined _everything_!" she cried.

_Shush. _he whispered in her mind. _There is nothing wrong. He only thinks that the nun has escaped. She is right there, as she has always been. I've just screened her with a spell. Come._

Neferet followed the White Bull over to the chains. _Touch just under the cuff._ he instructed. She did as he said, but she felt nothing. Just as she was about to tell him so, the cuff locked around her wrist. Neferet looked at the cuff and then at the hand that held it in shock.

David had locked her in one of the chains. When she looked at his face, she could tell that he was a complete puppet now. His eyes were nothing but white, no iris, no pupil. The White Bull had put David under his spell.

741+

.++ "What is this?" she asked, afraid. Suddenly, a wisp of Darkness came forward and pinned her 8457other hand to the wall. The other cuff locked around her free wrist, effectively chaining the top half of her body to the wall.

The White Bull laughed. _You are so naïve… A little praise here and there, and you were completely under my spell. _He laughed again as Neferet gasped. He had used her own technique on her. How did she not realize that? _Did you really think I would allow you to take my credit? To sit by my side as I ruled? I am _Darkness_! I will rule, all on my own._

"But…my lord…" Neferet couldn't find the words to speak.

_Exactly. I am your lord. So you will do as I say. And I say that _you _will be the sacrifice._

**[BREAK; DARIUS]**

"Is the doctor here yet?" Darius asked through his phone to Stevie Rae, who was at the city limits sign with Rephaim.

"Nu-uh." she answered. "But she said she'd be here in five minutes."

Darius grimaced. "Stevie Rae…I don't think that's soon enough. Zoey is 7 centimeters dilated. It will take you ten minutes to get out here once she gets to the sign."

"No. We will get there before the baby comes. I promise. If I have to fashion something out of the earth that get us there faster, I will." She hung up before Darius could reply.

Darius turned back to look at the tent and sighed. "Nyx, we need you."

As we walked toward the tent's entrance, Aphrodite came out. Her face was changing colors rapidly; blue, then green, then yellow, repeating over and over again.

"Sweetheart." Darius murmured before wrapping her in his arms. "I know this is stressful, but we can make it through this. Zoey and the baby will be fine. You'll see."

Aphrodite shook her head roughly. "No, nothing is okay. She started coughing _again_, Darius. Blood is everywhere. She's dying. She just made Kalona agree to rip her stomach open if she doesn't make it! Shit is serious now."

Darius felt the flood of relief go through every muscle in his body. Yes, he was still frustrated and concerned for Zoey and the baby, but he couldn't help being happy that Aphrodite was sounding at least a little bit like herself. "I know. But – "

"Oh Goddess!"

Both Aphrodite and Darius turned so fast toward the tent that they almost got whiplash. That was Zoey yelling. Either the baby was crowning and the pain was intense, or something was wrong. Darius hated his first instinct, but he couldn't help it; he was betting on the latter. Seconds later, they were both in the tent. It was getting crowded.

Zoey was on the mattress with Kalona right next to her, holding her hand and helping her do the breathing techniques women do when they have babies. Damien, Shaunee, and Erin were on Zoey's right side, behind Kalona. Aphrodite and Darius were on her left. Kramisha had disappeared, saying something about paper.

"Zoey, is there anything I can do for you? Anything to take the pain away?" Kalona asked. Damien, Erin, and Shaunee nodded.

"Yeah, could we use one of our elements to help?" Erin asked.

"We could call on them right now." Shaunee pitched in.

Zoey shook her head. "It isn't the pain. I mean, it hurts like hell, but that's not why I'm screaming. Something doesn't feel right. I think the contractions are actually spreading apart. And could someone _please _get a towel and wipe the water off of…y'know? I figured my water would have stopped by now."

Kalona murmured a yes, obviously worried about what she'd said about something not feeling right. He went outside for a moment. Darius had seen the clean, white towels in a little hamper out there. They'd stocked up pretty well on things they'd need. The only thing Darius couldn't understand was why they hadn't prepared to go to the hospital, or at least the infirmary. No one here knew what they were doing. They needed a professional. On top of it, why had they been hiding out in a place so desolate so close to the baby's arrival? Darius felt a little disappointment toward Zoey. She was so smart; why didn't she think of these things?

Darius, Aphrodite, Erin, Shaunee, and Damien all moved to the back of the tent, near Zoey's head, so that they could get out of Kalona's way and give Zoey a little privacy. Zoey was now laying her head down on the pillow, her eyes closed. Aphrodite had been doing some reading on pregnancy and labor herself, and had shared a few things with Darius. He knew that Zoey must have been very tired and wanted to sleep.

While everyone else was looking at Zoey, whispering about themselves about the baby, Darius looked over to Kalona. Something was definitely wrong. Every muscle in Kalona's body looked strained. He was utterly still, so much so that he could've been a statue. His eyes were wide as he peeked under the blanket at Zoey's bent legs, looking at her most private part. Darius saw Kalona's Adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard. Kalona slowly looked up without moving his head and caught Darius's eyes. Darius ever so slightly motioned for Kalona to meet him outside.

"Darling," Kalona addressed Zoey, "I'm going to go wet the towel. Some of the liquid has dried on you."

Zoey nodded as Darius told Aphrodite that he was going to go call Stevie Rae about the doctor.

When he went outside, Kalona was ten feet away, standing under a pine tree. "What's wrong?" Darius asked, jogging over to him.

"Keep it down." Kalona whispered. It was strange having Kalona tell him to do something in such a sincere tone. Darius was so used to Kalona being evil that he sort of felt like he was in an alternate universe. "I believe…Zoey has lost the baby."

Darius gasped. "No! Why do you think that?"

Kalona's eyes were turning red as tears swelled up. His eyes were wide as he looked to the ground. He looked as if he were reliving the moment he'd looked under that blanket. "It wasn't liquid from her water breaking that was making her uncomfortable. It was blood. _A lot _of blood."

Darius was shocked. He remembered Aphrodite saying something about a pregnant woman only bleeding a lot if she was having a miscarriage. Darius didn't know whether to tell Kalona _that _or try to console him. Before he could make a decision, Kramisha ran up to them.

"I found some paper and a pencil ina shack. Here." she said, handing them a poem. Darius quickly read it as Kalona looked over his shoulder.

_One life_

_To save all_

_Gone_

_Not without honor_

_Her deed is done_

_Her will complete_

_When tears dry_

_And crying begins_

_He will be the one_

_She will take it_

_The vessel will change_

_The cycle will be complete_

"Oh, Goddess…" Darius whispered.

Kalona burst into tears. "Does that mean…?"

"I…" Darius tried to find the words. But he had no idea how to tell a father that his child was dead.

**[BREAK; STARK]**

It hadn't taken as long as Stark thought to find himself again. The entire time, he'd been a walking contradiction. One minute, he'd start walking back the way he came, desperate to go find Zoey and beg at her feet for forgiveness. The next, he'd turn around, murmuring that she didn't really love him. She hadn't come to find him or even sent anyone to find him! But that was in the past.

He'd felt it. The shock that came with the first pains of labor. And when he did, he automatically turned and started running as fast as he could back to Tulsa. It was then that he knew he still loved her, still wanted to protect her, no matter what. He was scared that he wouldn't make it back in time to witness the birth, but he told himself that it didn't matter. As long as he was there for Zoey afterward, all would be okay.

_This entire situation was messed up_. he told himself. _Anyone could go a little crazy when put in this position. Surely Z will understand that._

Even if she chose to be with Kalona, he would stand by her side. It didn't matter anymore. He would love her even if she didn't love him. He was her warrior; it was his duty to protect her, even if she had cast him away from her heart.

Stark's heart gave a little leap as he saw the Tulsa city limits sign. He pulled forward another burst of energy so that he could go a little faster. But, just as he was beginning to think he was going to make it, he felt a surge of desperation. The emotion was so intense that it brought him on his knees. He saw stars dance around in his vision. He closed his eyes and focused solely on Zoey, willing himself to find her. With the strong connection between them at the moment, it shouldn't have been hard.

He opened his eyes and saw a faint silver cord attached to his body. When he put his hand through it, it would disappear for a moment and then come back. Stark realized with a jolt that it must have been the tether between him and Zoey. He followed it, surprised that it was going off to the left instead of forward. Where was Zoey?

He took off as fast as he could in the direction of the cord. When he saw the flames of a campfire, he stopped, wondering if the cord had led him astray. He saw an ATV – a four-wheeler, he thought – parked a little bit away from the fire. This had to just be a regular camp for regular people. Why would Zoey be out here?

He noticed some figures on the opposite side of the fire than he. One looked his direction for only a moment and he recognized her: Stevie Rae. So Zoey was here. Stark took off toward the camp, this time at a slower pace, but still faster than a human would be. Everyone must have heard him coming because they all turned his direction.

"Stark!" Damien gasped, surprised. "Where have you been?"

"Around." Stark replied, matter-of-fact. "Where's Zoey?"

Each and every one of them – Stevie Rae, Damien, Rephaim, Aphrodite, Darius, Kramisha, Erin, and Shaunee – looked around at each other. Just when Stark's patience was about to run out, Erin stepped forward. "She's in the tent. But…" Erin looked around at the other, who all gave her a look that Stark couldn't decipher. "But be careful. It's…not what you think."

Stark nodded once and took a deep breath before continuing toward the tent. He turned around to look at everyone one more time before he went in the tent, before their lives changed forever.

**[BREAK; ZOEY]**

"No!" I screamed as the doctor took my baby girl to the side of tent. "Why isn't she crying?! Why?!"

Suddenly, the tent opened. The lower half of my body was naked and exposed to the world, but I didn't care. All I cared about was my baby. But when I saw who was at the door to the tent, I gasped. "Stark!"

"Zoey." he whispered, rushing to take my hand and kiss my forehead. "I'm so sorry I missed it."

"It doesn't matter." I quickly said. "They won't give me my baby! And she hasn't made a sound since she got here!" I started crying really hard. I couldn't stop. I was hiccupping and snot was all over my face. I was vaguely aware of Kalona wiping my face with a tissue.

"Who is the father here?" the doctor called out. Kalona walked over to her and they started whispering.

"What?" I whispered. I was so tired. I wanted to scream some more, to get up and take my baby from them. But I didn't have the strength. The doctor had told me that I was lucky I didn't tear or worse from giving birth out here, totally unprepared, but I didn't care. I'd rather be dead than not hear my baby's cry ringing throughout the tent.

Kalona nodded and then came back to me, taking my hand in his. Stark whispered something – I think he was excusing himself – but I didn't hear. "What is it? What's wrong?!"

Kalona took a deep, ragged breath. I could tell that he was trying not to cry. "Sweetheart… I don't know how to tell you this, but – "

"No." I whispered, my eyes wide and filling with tears. This couldn't be happening! It just couldn't!

"Yes." Kalona corrected me. He was crying now, too. He sniffed before he added, "Honey, she's gone."

I started to cry again, but then I saw the doctor taking my baby outside of the tent. "No!" I screamed. "Don't take her! I…" I looked at Kalona. "I saved her once. I can do it again." When he opened his mouth to protest, I continued, "No, really! I can! Bring her to me. I can save her!"

But no one was listening to me. The doctor was already outside of the tent with my baby.

Aphrodite ran into the tent. "Zoey…" She ran over to me and hugged me hard. She started talking about how sorry she was, how everything was going to be alright, how Nyx does everything for a reason. I just nodded, not having the strength to do anything else.

The next events happened so fast, I could barely keep up. Aphrodite started shaking, rapidly losing her ability to stand. She yelled out as she crumpled to the ground. Darius burst into the tent, picking her up. As Aphrodite started having a seizure, she yelled, "No!" There was a white burst of light outside as someone yelled. Kalona wrapped his arms around me as another light – this time yellow – burst.

"What the fuck?" someone yelled from outside.

Aphrodite popped up off the ground as if she hadn't just had a seizure. She struggled to walk toward the tent's entrance as Darius tried to help her. She waved him off and made it out of the tent.

"What's happening?" I asked Kalona, who was still wrapped around me.

And then it happened. My entire body went still, my heart started pounding in my chest, and a yell threatened to burst from deep inside me. I felt Kalona go rigid as well.

A baby was crying outside.


End file.
